Total Drama: Nightmare at Pahkitew Island
by Ddynamo
Summary: This season of Total Drama, a new cast of characters has arrived at Pahkitew Island for a seemingly normal run of the show, where one of them is supposed to win a million dollar prize. However, deep below the island, something stirs restlessly. A true nightmare has finally awakened. What sort of chaos is the cast in store for? Find out on Total! Drama! Nightmare at Pahkitew Island!
1. Episode 1 - Camp Fever, Part 1

An establishing shot showed Pahkitew Island locked in the middle of a torrential rainstorm. Lightning flashed and the screen went white. As it faded back in, the shot landed inside of a large wooden cabin and resort some distance away from the island. Water slid down the great glass window on the second floor of the resort as the host stood in front of it. He flashed the camera a huge smile and spoke. "Welcome back to Total Drama! I'm the one, the only, Chris McLean."

"This season of Total Drama, we have twenty-two _all new_ contestants competing here on Pahkitew Island – to be dropped off with nothing but the clothes on their backs. They'll have to build their own shelters to live in, or they'll have sit out in the rain," he said, while pointing to the storm just outside. "They'll be competing in brutal challenges, and the losing team will have to vote out one of their own members during the dramatic campfire ceremonies."

"They're all sitting here in the lobby waiting for the helicopters to airlift them to their camps on the island, but in the meantime, let's take the chance to get to know these new contestants!" he announced. "Who will take home the money? who will lose it all? Find out right here on Total! Drama! Nightmare at Pahkitew Island!

* * *

(Opening Theme)

* * *

There was a red compartmental leather couch inside the first floor's lobby with a view of the outside storm. A short, pudgy boy in a green hoodie sat with his back against the armrest was on his phone. He had it wired to an outlet nearby. He had a habit of adjusting his glasses, which were tinted green as well. "Perfect score!" he said aloud.

 _~[Seth: The Hacker]~_

"You're real glued to that thing, huh?" a girl asked, leaning over behind the couch. She was an average-sized freckled and dressed in all camouflage – she had a ponytail that went through the back of her baseball cap.

"Yep," the boy said without moving his eyes off the screen. "I gotta get my gaming in now – I won't be able to charge it on the island."

"I wouldn't know," she dismissed. "Technology ain't my element." She gave a slight frowned and stood up from leaning. "Honestly, I just wanna get to the island. This resort aint' for me."

~ _[Diana: The Country Girl]~_

"That's fine," he shrugged. "I wouldn't expect your type to be a techie anyway… Ah, I didn't mean that in a bad way, though!"

"It's fine," she said casually. "Most people can tell at a glace that I'm more the outdoorsy type."

Seth put his phone away into his pocket. He looked at the girl across from him. "What's wrong with you?" he asked. From the bags under her eyes, she looked like she was either tired or stressed. "Did a virus byte you in the ass, _heheh_?"

The girl seemed to struggle to find the right words. "Ah… am okay," she said weakly. She appeared to be South American, with darker skin than the other two teens. She was probably quite poor, her clothes seemed used and torn, with plenty of spots of dirt.

"Hmm," the nerd pondered." "My sweet pun seems to have fallen flat."

"No entendiendo," the Latina said. "Pun?"

 _~[Mili: The Desperate Foreigner]~_

"I don't think she speaks much English," Diana decided. The girl nodded. "Trust me, hun. You ain't missing anything."

Seth chuckled awkwardly. "Tough crowd, today. I'm Seth, by the way."

"Soy Mili," she responded. She turned to Diana expectantly.

"Mili? Is that your name?" the country girl asked. "Mine's Diana."

Next to Mili on the corner was a third girl. She was taller than the others and wore a white labcoat. She also seemed Hispanic, but her skin was far lighter than the other girl's. Her hair was long and brown, and her face had a resting thoughtful expression. "I'm Cecilia – I can help with your English," she suggested. "…That is, if we're on the same team."

 _~[Cecilia: The Child Prodigy]~_

Diana moved along to where Cecilia was. "That's real nice of you!" she complimented.

Cecilia ignored her and continued to talk to Mili. "Where are you from?" she asked her. Mili only looked at her with confusion. "Ah… De donde eres?"

That helped. "Soy de Los Estados Repüblica."

"I see…" Cecilia paused for a moment. "I've heard of that place, actually," she said. "The Republic States. It's government is… more than a little corrupt, I know. It's this country in South America – it's technically a democracy, but the government is basically in the pocket of the obscenely rich Castiel family. Everyone else there is dirt poor. Indeed, I've spoken with the Castiels personally with the country's space program."

"What?" Diana asked. "Space program? But you're only like -"

"Seventeen?" Cecilia finished her sentence. "Not to sound conceited, but I'm already a published scientist. My theories regarding time travel are well known, I assure you."

"Sounds coolio," Seth said. He winked. "I'm sure you'll be tough competition then."

* * *

 **Confessional**

 **Diana:** "Oh, it's real exciting to finally start this!" she tells the camera. "Living in the wilderness ain't nothin' to me!"

 **Seth:** "I know I'm not the strongest kid on Earth, so I've got a trick up my sleeve!" He takes his phone and waves it at the camera. "The island is artificial, so I'm gonna use my phone to hack it! No team would vote me out when I'm the one winning all the challenges! All I need to do is find the control room…"

 **Mili:** "Necesito el dinero… para mi familia," she explains. "For them… I cannot lose."

 **Cecilia:** "I've become somewhat of a big name in the scientific community despite my age. My theories and equations regarding time travel are making waves, even though I may have my detractors," she says. "With that in mind, I can say with confidence I have what it takes to win. I know my mind can outperform anyone here's in a one-v-one.

* * *

There was another boy on the seat to the left of Cecilia. He was tall, skinny, and very well dressed for going out into the wilderness; wearing a fine black suit with his hair slicked down tight. He appeared to be quite aloof, and it would be a safe assumption to say he was rich.

 _~[Andrew: The Rich Heir]~_

On his left was a red-haired boy with an athletic build. He had on a blue sports jersey with the number five on the back, and his face was littered with freckles. "Just so you know, I expect nothing but the best from my team!" he exclaimed loudly.

"I suppose you are assuming we will be on the same team then?" the rich boy asked him.

"It's just in case!" he announced. "I need to let every know so they can be in top shape for my team! It's all about teamwork and focus!"

"I suppose any team would be lucky to have you," the other one said with a hint of sarcasm.

The athlete didn't seem to notice. "I should hope so! I'm gonna teach my team the value of hard work and determination! I'm looking for a fair fight in this game, and I will not tolerate any unsportsmanlike conduct!"

 _~[Seamus: The Student Athlete]~_

"You said it!" the last boy on the couch agreed. "Though, I coulda done without the yelling." This boy was average-sized and had messy brown hair. His dress was similar to that of something out of Indiana Jones, with a brown satchel around his shoulder.

"This is the way coach peps us for a game!" Seamus said confidently. "Loud noises are meant to build excitement!"

"The only thing that gets _me_ excited is the thrill of adventure," Oregon said in response. "Ruined temples? Booby traps? If it's got those, count me in," he explained. "That's why I signed up – not for the money, but for the sheer thrill… even so, the money would be a nice bonus. I don't really have a strategy in mind to win, though."

~ _[Oregon: The Adventurer]~_

"No strategy?" Andrew asked in surprise. "What a foolish thought."

"What's your strategy then!?" Seamus asked loudly. "Mine is to become a solidified leader by using my well earned strong bonds of trust!"

"I am not at liberty to divulge that information," he said, smirking. "But be well aware, I _have_ a plan."

* * *

 **Confessional**

 **Andrew:** "And my plan, of course, is to wait and listen. No good can come out of playing hard early. For now, I must sit back and analyze my competition."

 **Seamus:** "I know what it takes to make a good team – I've been a hockey star, a football star, a baseball star, and a basketball star. You name it, I've done it! I'll use what I've learned to form the strongest team out there!"

 **Oregon:** "I've been everywhere – lost tombs, ancient temples. All these things excite me, and my next adventure is to experience the thrill of Total Drama!" he says excitedly. "To adventure!"

* * *

Some distance away, there was a large window that took up nearly the entire wall. A young girl was looking out the window, seemingly looking at something. She was a fairly short girl with black hair tied into a long ponytail. The tips of her hair were dyed purple, and she had a set of glasses. She had with her a cup of coffee. "What is she _doing_ out there…" she said to herself while staring out into the storm.

 _~[Tyrenee: The Loner]~_

"Gah!" she yelped. Her shoulders were suddenly grabbed from behind. She managed to keep hold of her coffee.

" _Heheheeeeeh!"_ a boy laughed. "Did I getcha?" He had a nasally voice. His hair was reddish-orange and messy, and he had on a heavily stained white tank top with noticeable spots around his armpits. He had a red handkerchief around his neck.

~ _[Isaac: The Trailer King]~_

"What the _heck_?!" she hissed. She spun on her heel and shoved him back.

The boy only laughed. "That was hilarious. You should have seen your face!" he said, and he made a mock of her reaction.

"Seriously? You're a jerk," she said flatly, crossing her arms and regaining composure.

"Anyway, looks like you were watching something," the boy said. "Got anything worth sharing?"

"Really?" she said in surprise. "You're gonna scare me half to death and _then_ make small talk?" She took a sip of her coffee. "For your information, there's a girl out there standing alone in the rain."

"Really, now," he said interested. He went up to the glass window and had a peek outside. "Oh, so there is." Lightning flashed, and suddenly the girl was standing right at the window. Isaac jumped back in surprise. "The hell?!"

Tyrenee smirked. "Yeah, I'm just gonna pray she's not on my team real quick." She sipped her coffee again. "While I'm at it, might as well pray you're not on my team either. Heaven's sake… you stink."

The boy sniffed his armpits. "Really? I took a bath last week."

"Welp," the girl shrugged. "I'm gonna head out there and take my chances with creepy girl. I'd rather have my soul eaten than smell your pits anymore."

"I don't stink!" Isaac countered.

She opened a nearby door and marched out, grabbing the strange girl by the arm. The girl didn't resist at all. She pulled her back inside and to the couch, and Isaac followed them back. This strange girl was a long braid going down her back and wore half-moon glasses. She was wearing a black and purple shirt with strange emblems on it. She had a very blank expression on her face. "Is this a party?" she asked dully. Her voice is very deep.

~[ _Morrigan: The Creepy Girl]~_

"We're you trying to take a _bath_ out there?" Isaac asked. "You're wetter than a pig at Christmas!"

"You _need_ a bath," Tyrenee complained. "Wait a minute, what does that even mean… never mind, I don't want to know." She turned to the girl and raised her eyebrow. "Seriously though, what are you doing out there?"

"I don't understand… why can't I be outside?" she said.

Tyrenee exhaled deeply. "It's not that you aren't allowed outside… I'm just confused on why you would choose to _stand_ out there!"

"Why not?" she asked again.

"Because it's _raining,"_ Tyrenee said.

"So?"

Tyrenee paused a moment to try to find something to say back, but came up with a blank. "Just forget I said anything. Look, just don't kill me, I at least want to _win_ before I die."

"I was not planning on it," the creepy girl responded boredly. " I can tell by your aura it's not your time to die yet, though. You've got about ten more years."

Tyrenee immediately poured her coffee on the floor and walked off. "I'm out."

Isaac scoffed. "You're gonna leave _me_ with her? Where do you think you're going?"

"I'm going to make my bucket list," she responded from halfway across the room. Isaac could only stare at Morrigan with uncertainty.

* * *

 **Confessional**

 **Tyrenee:** She's got another coffee in her hands. "I don't want to get locked down one way, so I'm gonna be avoiding alliances. I work and vote alone." She gave the camera a smile. "Not that I have much to worry about, though. Isaac? Smelly, but not a threat. Morrigan? Well, I know when I'm gonna die now, but other than that, I don't expect much from her."

 **Isaac:** He sniffs his armpits again. "Man, I really do stink, huh?"

 **Morrigan:** "Everyone has been so nice to me already, _huhuhuh!_ " she tells the camera. "I wonder… could they be my new friends?"

* * *

Some distance away, a boy was taking a picture of a nice piece of pottery on the table using a Polaroid camera. It instantly printed the image right out and he began shaking it. This boy had blonde hair and wore a red Hawaiian shirt, shorts, and sandals. "That's another one for the scrapbook!" he said out loud.

~ _[Wyvern: The Tourist]~_

"That is a nice photo," another boy complimented. "But would you consider taking a photo of someone more… photogenic? I, of course, am referring to myself." This boy was wearing a plain white t-shirt and grey shorts. He had blonde hair which was tied up into a ponytail. He was by all accounts a very attractive teenager. "You don't mind, yes?"

"Of course not" the boy smiled. He turned away from the vase and aimed the camera at the other teenager. "Say cheese!"

The boy did as he was told and the camera flashed. Wyvern took the photo out and waved it around, then handed back to the other teen. "Yes, this is _true_ beauty," he complimented to himself. He slid the photo into his pocket. "So who are you, might I ask?"

 _~[Ryan: The Vanity Magnet]~_

"I'm Wyvern," the boy answered.

"That's an interesting name," Ryan responded. "So do you have a lady friend at home?"

"I don't really have a home," he said.

"Oh… so you're homeless then?"

"Nah, it's nothing like that," he dismissed. "Me and my family have enough money from inheritance to travel all the time. We see a different city every month. I thought it would be a nice change of pace for me to do Total Drama – I've always watched it in my free time," he explained. "I brought my camera so I could capture all the memories."

"Sounds cool, dude," he smiled. "Oh, hello there!"

A rather short Asian-looking girl walked up to them. "Uh… hi," she said timidly. "I was just walking around, trying to talk to everyone." She had long, black hair and was wearing a purple kimono. Ryan turned back around to face her. When they made eye contact, she turned her head and blushed. "I-I'm Ayane," she said.

 _~[Ayane: The Shy Girl]~_

"The pleasure is all mine," Ryan responded with a wink, grabbing hold of the girl's hand. "Perhaps, after the game is done, you would like to get something to eat with me?"

"I don't recommend it," Wyvern warned.

She pulled her hand away. "Uh, I'll pass… N-Not that I'm trying to be rude, or anything!"

"But of course," he said. "It is a regretful occasion though, I suppose."

"I guess," she said softly. "I'm just gonna… leave."

Ryan gave Wyvern a nudge as the girl left. "Cute, right?"

Wyvern sighed. "I guess so," he said awkwardly. He attached his camera to a string around his neck. "Listen dude, I think you're hella weird… so I'm out."

* * *

 **Confessional**

 **Ryan:** "Amazing body, cute girls, and soon a million dollars… what else is there to love?" he questions. "Ah, this game was _so_ made for me!"

 **Wyvern:** "I've been to Paris, Moscow, New York, Sydney, Tokyo, and more!" he announced. "But now, it's time for some Total Drama! Man, is it exciting to be here or what!"

 **Ayane:** "I don't feel like I belong here," she admits to the camera. "I mean, I'm nothing really special – but I _know_ I have a shot at this. _Please_ let me have a shot at this."

* * *

There was a dining table behind the couch seating three teens. The first of which was a thin, tanned teen wearing a brown sweater-vest and blue jeans. He had a square jaw, brown hair and wore a menacing expression toward the others at the table. "Just so you know, you might as well give up now… You're looking at the winner right here," he bragged.

~ _[Van: The Cutthroat]~_

"Sure, bud," another kid remarked. "I'm guessing I'm gonna be on your team and inevitably get voted off for being too smart for my own good." This kid wore a deadpan expression at all times. He had on a brown long-sleeve shirt and grey pants, and he was quite tanned. He had messy brown hair that looked like it had never been combed at all.

"Don't get in my way, or I will _not_ hesitate to vote you out," Van threatened.

"Yup," the other kid responded boredly. "Sounds about right."

~ _[Paul: The Sarcastic One]~_

The villain raised an eyebrow. "Just telling you now – don't do anything stupid. I wouldn't want to _hurt_ anyone," he grinned.

"That smile makes me uncomfortable," he said. "You _sure_ you don't want to hurt anyone?"

"Watch how easy this game is!" he spat. Van turned to the third teen and leered over the table. "What about you, little girl? How about we make an alliance? Just the two of us."

This third girl was lying face down on the table. She had long light-blonde hair and war a white hoodie and blue jeans. She was easily one of the shortest contestants in the season and her skin was pale. She raised her head up. "Huh?"

"Weak," he mocked. "Do you honestly think you can win looking like that? Be honest with yourself, you need someone to help you get to the finale – that someone can be me. Otherwise, I don't think I can guarantee your safety in this game."

"Oh, uh," she stuttered. "I don't know…"

~ _[Kiara: The Socially Anxious]~_

"Don't be ridiculous," he said. "You don't want to be eliminated, do you? Don't even think about crossing me. Just join my alliance, and everything will be okay."

"Yeah, you're completely sane," Paul remarked.

Kiara narrowed her eyes. "I'll do it."

"What?" Paul asked in surprise. "You know that guy's nuts, right? Are you nuts too?"

"She's smart," Van said. "See, she knows the optimal strategy is to buddy up with the strongest player, which happens to be me. Her genius earned her second place, easy."

"I think she'd rather have first," he responded.

"Alliances are good things, right?" Kiara asked. "I-I think I know what I'm doing…"

"Your funeral," Paul said dully. He got up off the table and left the two alone.

* * *

 **Confessional**

 **Van:** "Nobody has _ever_ played Total Drama like I will," he brags. "All these idiots are incompetent, they'll be begging me for a share of the million. The only way to win is to play _hard_. I'm the only one who will be sitting here in the end."

 **Paul:** "So yeah, this _already_ sounds like a fun time," he says dully. "I mean, at least tell me I'm not going to be on the same team as that Van guy – or at least if I'm on his team, everyone has the _brain_ to vote him out early. He's a nutjob."

 **Kiara:** "I know from the beginning people are going to underestimate me," she says hollowly. "I'm neither strong nor charismatic… but it takes more than that to win. Saddling up to people like Van is a good idea, because he takes the target off _my_ back. There are no good people, so I have no problems doing whatever it takes to win."

* * *

"Ninety-one, ninety-two, ninety-three…" The camera pans to the sight of a very tall and muscular guy going push-ups on the floor. He had messy brown hair and wore a brown long-coat. He had brown pants and a maroon shirt, and his skin was tanned. "Hell yeah!" he announced as he finished. "One-hundred!" He stood up.

~ _[Antony: The Self-Glorious]~_

"Wow, you're really good," another kid complimented. "I wish I could do that!" This boy was short and scrawny. He was black and had a square chin. His hair was shaved close to a buzz-cut.

"That's because I'm a full-blooded badass!" he announced gruffly. "Hell yeah!"

"Can you teach me?!" he asked suddenly. "I wanna become strong like you!"

~ _[Aiden: The Weakling]~_

"Listen, little man!" he said. "It takes a little more than determination to get like me! You've gotta be born special! We're you born special? I don't think so!"

"Oh," he said disappointed. "Well… I don't have to get _as_ strong as you! I just wanna get better!"

"No can do, little man!" he said. "There's only enough room for one bad-ass in this game, and that's me! If you want me to train you, you gotta first prove to me that you got what it takes! So what brings you into this game, huh? Surely you don't think you're _badass_ enough to win, do you?"

"I know I'm not strong or smart, but I have something even more important than either of those things!" Aiden said with determination.

"Oh yeah? What's that!"

"I have the power of optimism!"

Another girl walked in on them. She was a short-haired and fair-skinned brunette girl in a purple skirt and black stockings. She had on a magenta sweater, and she was short. She had a glossed-over look in her eyes and she held with her a blue novel. "Hello," she stated blankly.

~ _[Vi: The Stoic]~_

"Gah!" Antony sputtered. "The little people are multiplying! What sorcery is this?"

"You look sweaty," she observed. "Am I to assume that you have been exercising recently? I suppose this is a viable strategy to improve physical strength in the pre-game."

"Exercise?" he said aghast. "Who needs exercise, I'm just this badass by nature!"

"The effects of physical strain cannot be underestimated," she repeated. "Similarly, mental strain can lead to heightened cognitive agility as well."

"That sounds like nerd stuff, yah nerd!" Antony announced.

"What's that book?" Aiden wondered. "Can I have a read?"

"Ah, this?" the girl asked. "This is just a mystery novel. I may not have finished it, but at this point I see no point in continuing beyond confirming my suspicions that the estranged uncle is the murderer," she stated. "Unfortunately, I felt the mystery was quite obvious in this case."

"Hey, are you some sort of genius?" Aiden gushed. "You sound like a genius."

"It was a rather simple observation," Vi stated. "The hints throughout the chapter were quite obvious, I felt. Although I may have gotten accustomed to reading mystery novel anyway. I do read many of them. They are, in my opinion, the best genre of literature as they provide significant challenge for my mental energies."

"Books are for nerds!" Antony mocked. "Read less, play more!"

"You may call me as you wish," she stated.

* * *

 **Confessional**

 **Vi:** "I am indeed apprehensive of my chances of victory this season. I am quite aware that my emotionless behavior may be off-putting, thus the logical conclusion for me is that my help in mental based challenges may cause them to at least see me as an asset… on the other hand, past the merge the same thing may cause me to be a threat as well."

 **Antony:** "I'm fifty percent muscle, fifty percent MAN, one hundred percent _badass!_ Hell yeah!"

 **Aiden:** "All it takes is a little bit of optimism and anything is possible," he tells the camera. "I'm ready to win, even if everyone else doesn't think much of me!"

* * *

"So this is my competition?" a girl mused, leaning from the railing on the second floor. "They don't look like much." She wore an indigo sweater and slightly worn blue jeans. She had blue eyes and a severe look on her face as she looked down on them.

~ _[Sarah: The Stratbot]~_

" _Hahaha,"_ another girl laughed. "You know, appearances can be deceiving." She had blonde hair and a white sweater with blue jeans. She appeared quite joyful and enthusiastic.

"Ah, I didn't expect anyone else to be up here," Sarah said. She turned and held out her hand for a shake. "You can call me Sarah."

"Gray," the girl responded. "It's quite the pleasure!" She shook the other girl's hand.

~ _[Gray: The Nutcase]~_

"Same," she stated. "I suppose you're excited to play?"

"Of course," Gray chirped. "Fun times all around! Betrayal, chaos, brutality, bloodshed, tears! I feed off all of it.

Sarah gave a bit of a chuckle. "You know, I was looking for someone like you," Sarah said thoughtfully. "I need someone I could trust to take to the end with me."

"Wait, when did I become trustworthy?" she pondered. "You know, I'm unpredictable. You never know what decision I'm going to make." Gray made a grandiose gesture. "It would be your downfall to trust me!"

Sarah raised an eyebrow. "But you _could_ be trustworthy for a price, right? I'm willing to offer an equal share in the leadership of an alliance, if you're interested."

"Oh… that's actually intriguing," Gray decided. "I'll actually have to think on that one! But I don't understand why you'd pick me?"

"You made me laugh," she conceded. "You're the type of person who can keep me sane in this game. I think everyone needs someone like that."

"Oh, you think I'm funny, do you?" she said in a joking manner. "Perhaps I'll show you how funny I can really be!"

Sarah leaned up against the railing. "Please do," she said amused. "You know, I think you and I will get along just fine."

* * *

 **Confessional**

 **Sarah:** "In this game, I know that in the end you can't trust _anybody_. I can't trust Gray. I know I can't. But she amuses me, which is also something I _know_ I need. Above anything, I need to maintain control of my anger during this game. I can't allow a repeat of last… nevermind."

 **Gray:** " _Hahaha_ ," she laughs. "I'm already in an alliance and I've hardly done anything to deserve it! Deep space Gray does it again!" She flashes a smile toward the camera. "Look, I'm comfortable with who I am. I'm chaos incarnate, a little eccentric, and a lot excitable. So you know what I say? Screw sanity! It's _way_ funner being a basket case than anything else. The best part is… everyone's gonna underestimate me!"

* * *

Everyone gathered downstairs for a final announcement from Chris before leaving to Pahkitew Island. Chef and Chris were on the upstairs railing where Sarah was before. "Before we begin the pre-game announcements, we're _missing_ someone," the host said. "Chef? Go to Rei's room and retrieve her."

"Yes!" Aiden cheered. "I can't wait to start!"

Van scoffed. "Bah, the only person winning this is _me_."

"Do we seriously have to start by going in the rain?" Tyrenee mused. "Can't we wait for clear weather?"

"I agree with her," Cecilia said. "I have some reservations about going out in the rain. Perhaps the season can be postponed a little? Or, perhaps we could just stay at the Playa for this season.

"Suck it up, weenies," Isaac said. "Live in a trailer with a leaky roof, _then_ you can complain about the rain all you want."

"I'll _not_ be taking those ideas into consideration," the host smiled from above. "First, let's introduce Miss Rei!"

"Let go of me, you stupid oaf!" a voice yelled down the hall. Chef Hatchet was dragging with him a tall girl wearing brown pants and a tan blouse. Her skin was pale and she was freckled with red-hair tied into a ponytail. She got thrown into the hall with everyone else. "You'll regret that!" she hissed from the ground.

~ _[Rei: The Aggressive Genius]~_

"Welcome to the show, Rei," Chris said.

Rei stood back up and tried to spit up and Chris, but she missed. "I'll _kill_ you!"

"Semblance of sanity, this lot," Paul remarked.

"Now that everyone is here, let's start my announcements," Chris began. "We have plenty of things to cover, so listen up people. First thing is that this season is gonna be a homage to the _original_ Pahkitew Island, so you're all gonna have to rough it out there in the wilderness _and_ build your own shelters."

"Booooo!" Gray taunted.

Chris tried to ignore her. "Moving on," he said forcefully. "There are _two_ idols hidden on the Island, one for each team. The only other thing I can say about the locations is that they are both located in similar areas. If you find an idol, you must play it before the votes are read for it to work. When you play it, all votes cast against you will not count."

"Those idols are _mine!"_ Van declared.

"Your first challenge will be to build a shelter," Chris continued. "Both teams will meet at the elimination area for judging. After that, the winning team will leave and the losers will stay for the first elimination ceremony. Both teams will be given a map of the island so you can get around. I'm only giving you _one_ so don't lose it," he warned "Sound like fun?"

"No!" Tyrenee said.

"First, I have to divide you guys into teams. When I call your name, move over to the left. The Screaming Eagles, your team will consist of... Sarah."

"Noted," she nodded.

"Antony."

"Hell yeah!" Antony smirked.

"Cecilia."

"Pleasure to meet you all," she said respectfully.

"Rei."

" _Incompetent fools!"_ Rei hissed.

"Aiden."

"I'll do my best for you guys!"

"Oregon."

"To adventure!" he clapped.

"Gray."

" _Hahaha!"_ she laughed. "May chaos rule!"

"Wyvern."

"This is gonna be fun!" he said.

"Ayane."

"Oh, dear," Ayane said. "I hope we can get along…"

"Tyrenee."

"Present," Tyrenee said simply.

"And Isaac," Chris finished.

" _Heheheeeeeh!"_ Isaac laughed.

"The other team will be called the Killer Bears. Move to the right of me when I call your name. Your team will consist of Diana…"

"Go team!" she cheered.

"Van."

"This will be child's play," Van said.

"Seamus."

"I expect good teamwork from all of you!" he declared.

"Mili."

"Aqui!" she announced.

"Andrew."

He nodded. "Very well."

"Kiara."

"O-Okay," she stuttered.

"Ryan."

"Present and _very_ accounted for!" he smiled.

"Paul."

"Whatevs," he said flatly.

"Seth."

"Game on!" he beamed.

"Vi."

"Request acknowledged," she stated.

"Lastly, Morrigan."

"Fun, _huhuhuh!"_ she droned.

"Antony, Sarah, Rei, Gray, Wyvern, Oregon, Ayane, Cecilia, Aiden, Tyrenee, and Isaac – Screaming Eagles, you'll be taking the _green_ helicopter for a ride to your camp. Van, Vi, Kiara, Andrew, Morrigan, Mili, Seamus, Seth, Ryan, Paul, and Diana – Killer Bears, you'll take the red helicopter. When you get there, you will immediately begin working on your camps."

"Red is the color of blood," Morrigan observed.

"I'll give you guys a couple minutes to get acquainted with each other before you leave. You better make good use of it. After that, you can pack up and grab anything you want to take to the island."

* * *

 **Confessional**

 **Rei:** "If Chris had bothered to simply _tell_ me it was time for announcements, I would have come. It's hardly my fault I didn't come – and he certainly didn't need Chef Hatchet to come get me. You can mark my words on this, they _will_ regret it."

 **Tyrenee:** "I suppose the good news is I'm _not_ on the same team as Morrigan… but on the other hand I'm stuck with smelly Isaac."

 **Seamus:** "It's up to me to push the limits of my teammates. They'll be counting on me from now on and I can't let them down!"

* * *

The camera moved over to the Killer Bears to start. "I want this to be a team that an all-star would be proud of!" Seamus announced to the team. "I expect nothing short of the best from us, so we need to work together!"

"How naive," Van spat. "You think charisma will earn you command? Don't make me laugh, you need a firm hand to rule. Listen to me, if anyone on this team fails or slacks off, I will _not_ hesitate to have you eliminated, understood."

"Ghk!" Seamus sputtered. "No, that's wrong! Proper teamwork comes from building trust and friendship between members!"

"A million dollars is on the line, here," Van said. "If people are under the threat of elimination, I'm sure they'll shape up."

"Perhaps it would be best not to antagonize people so early on, though," Vi suggested. "Some may take a threat the wrong way vote you, yes?"

"That would be a bad move," Van spat. "You guys _need_ me."

"Um, I-I'm with Van," Kiara chimed in. "Rule of force is usually more effective than rule of trust… it's just not as nice…"

"I would deal with whatever the team chooses, myself," Andrew stated. "It matters not."

"Yeah, I'm not interested in playing team politics right out of the gate," Paul added.

"I feel it would be best to wait until our first loss to decide these sorts of things," Ryan said. "Then we can have a target already in mind."

"I already _have_ a target in mind," Van countered.

"Oh? You have a suggestion?" Vi asked curiously. "I am curious as to who you might suggest."

"Morrigan, naturally," Van suggested much to her distress. "She's a little weirdo, and she's probably less than worthless in challenges."

"I know how to curse people!" Morrigan threatened.

"At least it's not me." Seth breathed a sigh of relief.

"No entendiendo," Mili said confused. "What is happening?"

"Nobody gets to be the leader until we get to know each other!" Diana said finally. She sighed. "We can settle this later, let's just try to get to know each other, for now."

"Ghk… this isn't over," Van said threateningly. "The only person winning this game is -"

"- You. We get it, you think you'll win," Paul finished. "Just shut up already."

* * *

 **Confessional**

 **Van:** "What nonsense – the only way forward is by controlling this team with an iron fist. Whoever doesn't shape up or follow _my_ command gets eliminated, no exceptions.

 **Andrew:** "Having a split leadership may be a foreboding sign, but I _do_ feel it guarantees my own safety for the time being. So long as I remain neutral in the conflict, Van and Seamus can try to target each other for as long as they wish."

 **Seamus:** "These people need compassion, not a dictatorship!" he shouted. "I don't think Van is a very nice person at all!"

* * *

The scene cut to the Screaming Eagles sitting around the couch. "We should probably take the time to get to know each other," Sarah suggested. "It only seems like the best use of our time."

"Yeah, sounds good," agreed Cecilia. She approached Sarah and offered her a handshake. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Likewise," Sarah responded. She eyed the girl suspiciously and then finally shook her hand.

"I don't know what y'all are going, but I don't _need_ a team!" Antony announced. "This should be a team of one! Hell yeah!" He air-guitared.

Tyrenee took a sip of her coffee. "I wouldn't mind you being a team of one, either," she grinned. "Actually, I wouldn't mind _myself_ being a team of one, to be honest."

"That's completely stupid," Rei observed. "If you think you have a semblance of a _chance_ of winning alone, then you're a moron."

"It was a joke," Tyrenee said. "Don't take everything seriously."

"I wasn't joking, though," Antony added seriously.

Sarah flopped down onto the couch and held her forehead. "You guys aren't going to be an easy team to manage, are you?"

Antony suddenly jumped forward. "Look at my coat!" he demanded. "Look at the way it flows in the wind! Isn't it badass? Yeah? Hell yeah!"

"With Antony on our team, I don't think there's any way we can lose!" Aiden gushed.

"You have a lot to learn, kid," Tyrenee joked.

Isaac casually walked toward Sarah. "So anyway, I take it you're gracing yourself with the role of leader, then?" he coaxed. "What if we don't want you?"

"I don't necessarily need the leader role," Sarah answered. She glanced over at the other team. "Last thing we need is a power struggle like them."

"Uh, I think so too…" Ayane trailed off.

"We've got an all-star team," Oregon nodded. "We've got brains and brawn here – nothing can stop us!" he cheered. Sarah nodded casually.

"Look!" Wyvern said as he took a photo. "It's our first meeting as a team!"

Chris blew an airhorn in the room. "Alright, listen up – you're out of time, so get ready to grab everything you need and head out to the island. Meet back in the lobby when you're ready."

* * *

 **Confessional**

 **Sarah:** "I've got my work cut out for me with this team," she says. "If I had to eliminate one of them right now, it would probably be either Ayane, Aiden, or Antony. Aiden and Ayane both seem relatively useless, and Antony just seems annoying."

 **Cecilia:** "Something about Sarah doesn't feel right to me – she could be a huge threat, especially later on. It might actually be worth it for me to make a push to get rid of her as early as possible. We'll see."

 **Tyrenee:** "I think this team kinda blows…"

* * *

Kiara caught up with Van as he walked to his room. "So… uh… are we still good for an alliance?" she asked him.

"Of course," he responded. "I'd never say no to a free ally. You know what? Aligning with me is the smartest move you coulda made."

"Yeah…" Kiara said awkardly. "B-But, you know we need _four_ more to have a majority, right?"

" _Hah!"_ he laughed. He pulled out a switchblade and waved it around menacingly. Kiara looked shocked. "With this baby, _nobody_ would be stupid enough to say no to me."

"I… was considering trying to win over the people trying to be neutral," the blonde thought, avoiding looking at the knife. "Would you be interested in Andrew or perhaps Ryan?"

"Ryan is just an annoyance, and Andrew seems too smart to keep around," Van decided. "I want Seth – he seems a little desperate. Desperate enough to take what he can get."

Kiara sighed. "I can work with that…" she replied. "But it might not be a good idea to discount people as allies so early."

" _Good,_ " he hissed. "But for future reference, _don't_ tell me what to do. Remember who the brains of this alliance is."

"R-Right."

They made it to Van's room and he stepped inside. "Listen," he began. "Just leave to thinking to me. I know what I'm doing," he said as he slammed the door behind him.

"I'm sure you do," the blonde muttered.

* * *

 **Confessional**

 **Kiara:** "I still think keeping Van around is good because he'll be such a big target… but it's not easy to put up with him."

 **Van:** "Kiara had the right idea when she suggested to invite Andrew and Ryan… but I can't let her know that. The last thing I need is for one of my allies to get a big ego about things. I'll just keep her feeling useless so she'll feel stuck with me."

* * *

"So, are you excited to play?" Gray asked to Aiden as she was walking to her room.

"Man, am I!" he responded enthusiastically. "I've been watching this show ever since World Tour! I've wanted to play since! So why are you playing?" he asked.

"I'm out for blood," she said casually. "I need at least five gallons of blood to resurrect my dad. He's a demon."

"That's a little rude!" Aiden said indignantly. "You shouldn't say such things about your own dad!"

"Oh, I was being literal," she added. "I'm half demon."

"… are you _really?_ " he asked suspiciously. "I think that would be on the news."

She laughed. "I am as far as you know!" she said with a wink.

"Hmmm," Aiden pondered. "I don't know if you are a demon or not… I should keep an eye on you."

"Yeah, you should!" she said. "Hey, off topic, how much do you weigh?"

"Uh… I don't know, something like a hundred and ten, I think."

"A hundred and ten Pounds? I think I can handle that," she replied. "Wanna piggy-back ride?"

"Huh?" he said in shock.

"It's an honest question," she continued. "Do you want a piggy-back ride?"

"Are you… being dirty?" Aiden asked.

"What? No!" she said. "Unless you want me to _, haha!_."

"I think I'll pass on that," he said. "This feels kinda weird."

"Okay then," she shrugged. "Laters!"

* * *

 **Gray:** "I like Aiden, he's naive but cute, but I'm an agent of chaos… I know nothing of such things as love and fear!" she yells. "At least, that's what I tell myself at night."'

 **Aiden:** "Uh… I'm confused," he admits.

* * *

"Well…" Chris began as everyone met back up with their things. "Welcome to Total Drama, _victims_!" he announced. "The helicopters are waiting outside – please remember to get in the on that's for _your_ team," he said sternly. He moved down a flight of stairs and stood in front of the cast. "Listen up, I want to make one thing clear. You've all read your contracts, I hope, so you should know that after the incident with Scarlett, we're holding you guys extra accountable for what goes on here. No going psychotic and trying to kill everyone. We'll sue you _and_ your family for everything you own if you even try, got it?"

"Sounds alright," Seth decided.

"Don't do anything illegal, either," Chris warned. "No assault, murder, or jaywalking. Anything dangerous will be confiscated before you come to the island." Chris gave an aside to Chef Hatchet. "Isn't that right, Chef?"

Chef spoke up and eyed Van. "That means _you,_ kid. Hand over the knife."

" _Shit_ ,"he muttered to himself. He tossed the switchblade to Chef Hatchet.

"Alright, now that that's out of the way, all aboard to Pahkitew Island!" he announced. "And I'd run to those helicopters too, unless you want to take a bath on the way there, _haha_!"

* * *

There were two military helicopter outside as it poured down the rain. Inside of the red helicopter was the Killer Bears team – Mili, Kiara, and Diana sat beside each other, all soaking wet. Kiara scooted her legs as close to herself as possible.

"So listen," Diana began, "what do y'all think about the game so far?"

"It is good," Mili nodded.

"Things could be better," Kiara said distantly.

"I saw you was getting close to Van," Diana said concernedly. "I don't think that's a real good idea… the guy seems real dangerous, and I think he's manipulating you." Diana tried to put her hand on Kiara's shoulder.

She flinched and swatted it away. "I don't like being touched!" she said quickly.

Diana jerked her hand back. "Okay, sorry," she apologized. "I didn't know."

Kiara sighed. "Sorry… I didn't mean to snap."

"Anyway," Diana said. "I'm just saying, Van doesn't seem like the type of person to hang around. Just watch yourself, okay?"

"No confío en él," Mili added.

"Ah, I don't speak any Spanish," Kiara admitted. "Sorry." Kiara turned to Diana and breathed in. "I'll keep that in mind," she told her. Diana nodded.

* * *

"Brrr," Tyrenee shivered as she climbed into the helicopter. "Good God, the rain is cold." She was the last person to climb in, and the only spot available was between Isaac and Antony. She could only sigh.

"Welcome to hell," Isaac grinned.

Tyrenee took her seat between them and groaned. "This is going to be _my_ special hell, isn't it?"

"Sorry, kid," Isaac shrugged. "I make it my job to make people as uncomfortable as possible. You're just a new victim."

"That sounds accurate," Tyrenee said dully.

Isaac suddenly threw an arm around her shoulder. "Listen kid, I want to let you in on a little secret – I'm creating my _own_ alliance. I call it operation neutral party," he explains. "See, we're gonna operate on the down low and work between any other alliances that spring up."

Tyrenee pulled his arm back down. "Sorry dude, but I don't do alliances. It's not my style."

"Well," he recoiled. "We don't have to be an alliance proper," he decides. "Just a mutual agreement to try to take down any that might occur."

"So like an anti-alliance alliance?" Tyrenee asked. "I might consider it."

"Great, so that's settled," he grinned.

"I said 'might'," Tyrenee repeated. "Don't get your hopes up."

* * *

 **Confessional**

 **Isaac:** "I think alliances are inherently bad for a team," Isaac explains. "So I think it'd be in _my_ interest to dismantle any that might… spring up. Any alliances except _mine_ of course," he adds.

* * *

Chris watched from the window of the resort as the helicopters took off and flew away and into the distance. "So there we have it!" he says enthusiastically. "Twenty-two teens stranded back on Pahkitew Island! Who will take home the money, and what sort of drama will arise from them? Find out next time on Total! Drama! _Nightmare_ at Pahkitew Island!"


	2. Episode 2 - Camp Fever, Part 2

_AN: So here's the second part of the two-parter episode. Please leave a review with concrit/compliments/complaints!_

* * *

 **Screaming Eagles:** Isaac, Sarah, Gray, Wyvern, Ayane, Tyrenee, Antony, Rei, Oregon, Aiden, Cecilia.

 **Killer Bears:** Morrigan, Vi, Andrew, Van, Kiara, Seth, Diana, Seamus, Mili, Ryan, Paul.

* * *

"Last time on Total Drama!" Chris introduced from the cabin. "Twenty-two campers arrived at Pahkitew Island to play another high stakes game for a million dollars!" Flashes of the introductions from last episode played through. "We've met villains," he said as a clip of Van showing his knife was shown. "We've seen heroes," he added as Seamus commanding his team was shown. "And we've seen _weirdos,_ " he finished with a clip of Morrigan in the rain.

"Tonight, the losing team of the challenge will be joining me for a nice, peace elimination ceremony, where one of these twenty-two will be sent home in _the_ most dramatic campfire ceremony ever!" he announced. "We're bringing back the good ol' Boat of Losers from Total Drama Island to be the chariot of failure."

"Right out of the gate, alliances and grudges formed," Chris continued. "For the Eagles, an alliance formed with the purpose of taking _down_ any other alliances," he said. "Which seems like the purpose of an alliance, anyway. For the Bears, command was split down the middle between hardcore Van and teambuilding Seamus. Will tonight's loser be a Bear… or an Eagle? Find out right now on Total! Drama! Nightmare at Pahkitew Island!"

* * *

(Opening Theme)

Clips of cameras and spotlights popping up across the island shows, starting with one raising up from a pile of rocks in front of a waterfall, one suspended from a tree, then one raising up a lily pad with a frog sitting on top much to its surprise. Another camera pops out of a rock and crushes a bird sitting just to the right. A hand comes up and snaps a film slate, and the camera starts sailing down the path of a river where Chris is perched on top of a large rock beside Chef.

[ _Dear mom and dad I'm doing fine!]_

The camera begins ascending a cliff face where Diana and Oregon can be seen racing to the peak.

 _[You guys are on my mind.]_

The camera levels out about halfway through and enters a cave. It looks down and shows a crystal clear pool of water down below.

 _[You asked me what I wanted to be, and now I think the answer is plain to see…]_

The scene dives down into the underground lake and bubbles start covering the screen. After they fade away, Seamus is shown underwater trying to pull a shiny metal object out from under a pile of rocks.

 _[I wanna beeee famous!]_

The camera raises to the surface and shows Kiara on the lakeshore outside the cave staring at the water nervously. A pan to the right shows Mili giving her a suspicious look. A further pan to the right shows Vi sitting in the lotus position on a tree stump staring with interest. Finally, Ayane is shown with an easel painting the lake.

 _[I wanna live close to the sun!]_

Deeper in the forest, Antony is shown doing supersizes using a large, rotting log over his shoulders, lifting it up and down. Aiden looks on excitedly and begins clapping. Paul walks past and rolls his eyes, then the camera begins to follow him.

 _[So pack your bags cause I've already won!]_

Paul stops at the ruins of what looks like an old stone fortress. Up top, he sees Van behind Tyrenee, who is looking over the top at the breathtaking view. Van creeps up behind her and extends his arms, threatening to push her off, but then notices Paul watching and smiles innocently. Tyrenee turns around and gives him an odd look.

 _[Everything to lose, nothing in my way!]_

Inside the fortress, Cecilia is shown putting the finishing touches on some sort of robot. Sarah looks on skeptically and Wyvern takes a picture of the device. Cecilia pushes a button on a remote and it comes to life, and starts chasing the two onlookers. The genius scratches her head in confusion.

[ _I'll get there on daaaay!]_

The camera passes through the ground and into a subterranean room with monitors and cameras all round. Seth is sitting in a chair within and pushes a button. The screen shows an explosion go off at a distant part of the island. The scene fades into the screen showing the explosion, where Rei is shown covered in ash with an extremely displeased look on her face. In front of her, Gray points and laughs, then runs away cackling.

 _[Na Na Nanananaaa Nananananaaa Na Nananananaaaa!]_

A pan further inland reveals the outhouse confessional. Ryan is knocks on the door holding his crotch in frustration, then Isaac bursts out. Ryan runs away screaming then Isaac starts snickering to himself.

 _[I wanna be! I wanna be! I wanna be famous!]_

Andrew is alone on the water riding a small makeshift raft paddling toward shore. A shark jumps out of the water and takes a bite out of the raft, and Andrew instinctively backs away.

 _[I wanna be! I wanna be! I wanna be famous!]_

Morrigan is shown on the new Dock of Shame, holding a large evil looking book open and starts flipping through the pages. She frowns, and the scene pans out to reveal that she's surrounded by a gang of menacing and rusted looking robots and waving serrated looking weapons threateningly. She throws the book into the air and runs off the dock. The camera follows the book fly toward the sun.

The sun fades into the moon, and then Oregon and Diana are shown sitting beside each other by the campfire. They both lean in toward each other, a quick flash of white shows that Wyvern has taken a picture. The camera pans out to reveal that he has photographed the rest of the cast. Sarah, Isaac, Gray, Antony, Aiden, Cecilia, Rei, Tyrenee, and Ayane revealed on the left, followed by Morrigan, Kiara, Andrew, Vi, Seamus, Mili, Ryan, Paul, Seth, and Van on the right.

The cast whistles the last few notes, and then the screen fades to black.

* * *

Lightning struck as the Screaming Eagles helicopter came to a stop around a rugged cliff above a steep waterfall. A few flowers poked out between craggy rocks. The river meandered some distance away into a section of rapids, where a small overlook had a view of the area. A green helicopter descended, and hovered just above the ground. The rain seemed to be lightening up a fair bit.

"Looks like this is the place," Tyrenee decided. She jumped out, followed by the rest of the team. "This place _does_ look beautiful."

There was a picnic blanket with some various tools on it; an axe, a saw, a machete, a laminated map, and a few buckets. As Chris had said though, there was no shelter to be found. "Man, couldn't we have spent another day in that resort," Isaac complained. "There's no need for this rain nonsense."

"So what are we doing?" Sarah started. "I'd prefer to have shelter from the rain quickly, if at all possible."

"Uh, what if we did like a cliff-side house… or something," Ayane suggested. "I don't know…"

"A simple cabin would do just as fine," Cecilia said.

"Yeah, but our houses are being rated," Gray said. "We have to go all out. I vote for cliff-side house."

"I second the motion," Isaac added.

"Then it's settled," Sarah said firmly. "Antony, take the axe and cut down a tree. Me, Cecilia and Gray will work on gathering vines. Everyone else can try to get food for now, I suppose."

"Who died and made you leader?" Isaac scoffed.

"Someone died?" Aiden asked earnestly.

" _Nobody died_ ," Sarah said. "Are you saying you disagree with my division? If you have a better suggestion, just say it."

"Y-Yeah," Isaac responded. "I… can cut down a tree… Aiden, Oregon, and… Morrigan can find vines, and everyone else can -"

"Let me stop you right there," Tyree objected. "Antony is obviously the best suited to cut down a tree… and Morrigan isn't even on our team, genius."

"That's just rude," Isaac said. He sighed. "I guess we'll go with Sarah's plan, then."

"Yeah, I think we will," Sarah said lightly. "Everyone, take your places." Everyone on the team followed her instruction and divided up among their jobs.

* * *

 **Confessional**

 **Cecilia:** "I see the way Sarah operates, she's asserting herself as leader _without_ asserting herself as leader. I think Isaac sees it, too. If I can talk to the right people, I can engineer a blindside on our first elimination. I think it's for the best that she goes first."

 **Isaac:** "Well, that was a bruise to the ol' ego," he said. "Even Tyrenee jumped on me."

* * *

Sarah, Cecilia, and Gray found shelter underneath the canopy of a tree where they could pull vines off the trees. Sarah took a vine and tugged on it. "This this is strong enough?"

Cecilia took a glance. "I think it is," she answered.

"You know, I recognize you," Sarah said calmly. "You're Cecilia Toledano – I've seen your work."

"Ah, you have?" said Cecilia with a bit of a blush.

"You're pretty famous for your age," Sarah continued. "I'd say you're a pretty smart cookie, right? Let me talk to you for a second."

"What about?" Cecilia coaxed.

"Who would you vote for, given the choice?" asked Sarah. "We've all met, surely you have an opinion by now?"

"I'd vote for the weakest, of course," Cecilia lied. "Aiden, right?"

"Those were my thoughts too," Sarah agreed.

Gray objected. "Wait, it's a bit too early to determine strength, doncha think?"

"We do have to go by _something_ ," Sarah said. "Ayane and Aiden are probably of similar strengths, but I feel like Aiden is likely the weaker between the two."

Gray sighed. "I'll argue with you later."

"Are you two -" Cecilia tried to say, before getting cut off.

"In an alliance?" Sarah finished. "Yeah. We are. I was thinking about extending the offer to you, as well. You seem useful, and it'd certainly make me feel good about my chances to have a famous person on my side."

"I accept," Cecilia said. "Whatever makes me feel safe, right?"

* * *

 **Confessional**

 **Cecilia:** "Telling Sarah I'd align with her was a clever way to get her to trust me. If she thinks I'm on her side, she won't see the blindside coming. I might even be able to get Gray in on it. She doesn't seem too pleased to get rid of Aiden, and she might turn on Sarah if I press the issue."

 **Sarah:** "Cecilia is easily one of the most intelligent people on the team – getting her in my alliance was a way to remove a potential threat without using the elimination ceremony. She's hardly a threat to me when she's on _my_ side."

 **Gray:** "Aiden did nothing wrong!" she pouted. "I'm gonna have to get Sarah off his back…"

* * *

A red helicopter landed at a campsite belonging to the Killer Bears. Their camp was in the middle of a clearing in the forest, and nearby a river cut through the edge of the clearing. Eleven teens got out and the helicopter flew back off. The same supplies the Eagles had were waiting for them. The rain was still coming down there.

"So this is the place," Andrew stated.

"We need volunteers!" Seamus announced. "I can get wood for our shelter! Who wants to get food and water?"

"Me, Kiara, and _Seth_ will collect food," Van decided.

"Actually, I think it'd be better if Kiara _didn't_ go with you," Diana interrupted.

"Oh, she's going with me!" he snapped. "Aren't you?"

"No, she's not!" Diana coutered. "Kiara… you can't go with Van. He's _dangerous."_

"What about me?" Seth questioned. "Is anyone concerned about _my_ safety? What am I, an old CRT? _heheh._ "

"Shut up, Seth," Paul scoffed.

"Uh… I'm okay to go with Seth alone… I-I guess," Kiara said.

" _What_?" Van hissed.

"Oh… uh, I'm not prepared to be alone with a pretty lady," Seth said quickly. "N-Not that I think you're pretty or anything.

"This is stupid," muttered Paul.

* * *

 **Confessional**

 **Kiara:** "I-It's not that I was trying to avoid Van… I just wanted to talk to Seth before Van had a chance to scare him away… I can patch things up to him later."

 **Van:** "Kiara, you stupid, _stupid_ girl!"

 **Seth:** "Man, there aren't a lot of girls on this team, are there? Mili barely speaks English, Diana's not my type, Vi's a little weird, and Morrigan is a _lot_ weird. Really, that only leaves Kiki. I wish I brought some breath-mints, _hehehe_!"

* * *

Seth and Kiara went alone together in the forest carrying a bucket to gather resources. The hacker picked some purple berries off a bush. "Do you think these are poisonous?" he asked.

"I don't know?" she said uncertainly.

"Only one way to find out!" he decided.

"Dont!" Kiara shouted.

Seth popped one of the berries into his mouth and swallowed. "Hey, I haven't had a system shutdown yet. I think I'm fine," he shrugged. "I'll take a few, I guess."

"I-I think it takes longer than that to have a reaction…" Kiara had a look of shock.

"Oh well," he said. He picked a few off the bush and put them in his pockets. "It tastes pretty good though."

"I'm… sure it does," she said forcing a smile. "I wanted to talk to you., though."

"Oh?" he said, lifting an eyebrow. "What about?"

"Uh… would you be interested i-in an alliance with me?"

"Alliance?" Seth asked. "With a cute girl like you? I wouldn't mind, _heheh_."

Kiara sighed. "Yeah, look. Van's in too," she admitted. "Are you okay with that."

"Man," Seth said happily. "At this point, I'll take what I can get!"

"Good," Kiara replied. "We'll work together then. Just don't… bother Van too much. Just do what he says unless I say otherwise."

"Got it!" he said.

* * *

 **Confessional**

 **Kiara:** "Seth is _less_ than ideal… but this is what Van wants, I guess.

 **Seth:** "So I'm in an alliance with the cutest girl on the island _already?"_ he says in surprise. "Man, that cologne I bought from that old man really _does_ work!"

* * *

"Timber!" Antony yelled as he felled a tree. He was in a densely forested area some distance away from the Eagle's cliff."Look at that! Hell yeah!"

"You're amazing!" Aiden said.

Antony grabbed hold of the fallen tree and started to drag it to the cliff-side. "Piss off, little man! Don't you have foraging to do? I'm busy being hella badass!"

"It's so cool though!"

Gray came into the area covered in vines from head to toe. "Look at me!" she shouted. "I am become swamp monster, destroyer of words, _hahahah_!"

Sarah followed close behind. "We got the vines," she said. "Cecilia's waiting at the cliff to start working."

"Swamp monster, rawr!" Gray purred.

"You don't scare me!" Antony said. "I'm a man! Hell yeah!"

"Hmph," groaned Sarah. "Compensating?"

* * *

Some time later, the Eagles had somewhat of a scaffolding built hanging over the edge of the cliff. Sarah tied a vine up to a stake at the end to hold down the scaffolding. She tugged on it to ensure that it was at least sturdy.

"Is it safe?" Cecilia asked. "I don't want to step on that and have it break in half."

"We need a guinea pig!" Gray decided. "Who's most likely to survive falling off a cliff? Any takers?"

"Wait at least until we have a floor in," Cecilia said. "Although even then, I'm not going to be the one to stress test it. You'll have to find someone else to do it."

"Oregon might be brave enough," Sarah considered.

"The wood should be sturdy though, especially if I can get posts connecting the far edge of this frame to the side of the cliff. It can be a sort of stilt, I suppose."

"Are you sure this will support all eleven of us?" Sarah asked.

"Like I said, this wood is pretty sturdy," Cecilia repeated. "I think it could support us _and_ the other team if it had to."

"I'll take that as a scientist's seal of approval then," Sarah said.

* * *

 **Confessional**

 **Sarah:** "So far, I've seen nothing particularly threatening from Cecilia. She's working hard to help build the shelter, but she's not seemed to show much strategic prowess," Sarah explains.

* * *

Later, at the Bear's camp, the rainstorm had practically stopped to all but a drizzle. The basic frame of a cabin was build in the middle of the field with the help of the wood Seamus had gotten. The team started putting up paneling along the wall.

"Do you know how to tie, Morrigan?" Diana asked while she was tightening the boards on the walls.

"I only know how to tie nooses," she replied dully.

"Okaaay," Diana said awkwardly. She finished tying one of the vines. "I'll just find someone else then… I'll grab Seamus."

"Okey-dokey!" Morrigan smiled.

Diana went a short distance into the field where Seamus was splitting wood for the shelter. "Hey Seamus! I need your help real quick!" she called out.

"Will do!" he said. He jogged with Diana back to the shelter. "What do I need to do?"

"I just need an extra hand tying these vines up," Diana explained. "It'll only take a second. I think we have enough wood anyway."

"Alright." The two of them started work on the shelter.

During the work, Diana spoke up again. "Look, are you okay with an alliance against Van?" she asked. "You know he's _not_ good for the team, right?"

"His attitude is not conducive of a team environment!" Seamus conceded.

"Yeah… I'm just saying, it'd be better for _everyone_ for this to happen. Especially Kiara."

"She has fallen into his trap!" he replied. "You're right! We must help her!"

The two of them finished typing up the front wall of the house, and it looked like it was finally coming together. "Looks like that's that then." She hesitated. "Thanks for helping out with Van too… I'm more concerned about _Kiara's_ safety than anything."

Seamus gave her a nod and went back to the lumber.

* * *

 **Confessional**

 **Diana:** "I don't think Seamus knows how thankful I am to have someone else to help me ditch Van," she says. "My chief concern is Kiara though… I don't understand how he convinced her to side with him, but it _can't_ be good."

* * *

Seth and Kiara walked away from where they were gathering, with Seth holding a bucket full of his berries. The rain stopped completely, leaving the ground muddy. As they were walking, Van snuck up from behind and grabbed Kiara by the arm to stop her. "What the fuck was _that_?" he hissed.

"Wh-what was what?" she asked nervously.

"Why the hell did you agree to go without me?" he demanded. "I was supposed to get _Seth_ on our side!"

"D-Don't yell at me," she quavered. "Besides, I-I already got Seth with us."

Van grabbed her by the collar and she flinched. "I woulda made _sure_ he was on our side!"

"I-I'm sorry! It won't happen again!"

"The hell it won't." He pushed forward and threw her backwards onto the ground. "I think you need to be punished." She flinched again. "Don't speak to _anyone_ for the rest of the day," he said with a smirk. "Make sure you don't. I'll be watching."

* * *

 **Confessional**

 **Kiara:** Tears are rolling down her eyes. "Fuck _you_ Van," she says weakly.

 **Van:** "I know how to keep people in line," he boasts. "Next time, she won't get off so easy."

* * *

"Oregon? Ayane?" Cecilia began. She was alone with the two of them just inside some dense forest a little ways away from the camp. "I need to talk to you two for a minute."

"What about?" Ayane asked curiously.

"What do you think of Sarah?" she asked.

"I think she's a hard worker that's earned her place in the camp," Oregon responded casually. "Why?"

"Right…" Cecilia said. "Just bear with me for a second… don't you think she's gained a little _too_ much power too early?" she asked. "It's like she has everyone eating out of her hand and the game hasn't even really started yet."

"Maybe," Oregon said. "I think you're being a little paranoid though. She's not made any alliances yet, at least that I know of."

"She asked me to be in one," Cecilia said. "And I'm pretty sure she's got Gray with her, too."

"Oh." Oregon looked down thoughtfully. "Are you asking us to help you vote her off?"

"Sarah's not done anything wrong though…" Ayane said. "I-It seems a little mean to me…"

"She's voting off the weakest first, as far as I know. She wants Aiden gone," Cecilia explained. "After Aiden's gone, _you're_ the second weakest, Ayane."

"Really?" she asked sadly.

"Look, all I'm saying is that if nothing is done, she'll win the game before anyone knows what happened. She's a threat, plain and simple."

"You can count on me," Oregon decided.

"I'll do it, too," Ayane added. "I don't have anyone better to vote… I-I guess."

* * *

 **Confessional**

 **Cecilia:** "Oregon seems like a trustworthy guy, I think he'll keep his word," she says. "Now it's time to track down Gray and see how she's feeling."

 **Oregon:** "Someone getting too powerful ruins the fun for other people, so yeah I'll vote for Sarah if it keeps everyone else free. This game is meant to be played for enjoyment, not the hardcore stuff that she's doing."

* * *

"Sarah, I need to talk to you about something," Gray started. She had asked her to talk with her privately upstream from their river.

"Gray, you understand we're busy, right?" she said, a little annoyed. "We don't have the time for me to be pulled away for you to do your nonsense or whatever."

Gray huffed. "I'm being serious right now," she responded. "I don't want to vote out Aiden."

"If we win the challenge, we won't have to," Sarah responded.

"I don't want to have to vote him out _ever,"_ she added.

Sarah sighed. "Gray… I figured you'd be better than this," she said. "Don't let emotions cloud your judgment. He's objectively the better option."

"What about personality?" Gray questioned. "He might be weaker, but he has more positivity to him. How did you determine strength anyway? Did you test them when I wasn't looking."

"Look, Aiden's the weakest," Sarah repeated.

"Just rethink things a little, okay?" Gray pleaded. "I'm not asking much."

"It's not optimal strategy."

"Who cares?" Gray said. "I like Aiden, and I'd like to keep him around a while. I can even get him in our alliance, if you want."

"Fine, fine," Sarah relented. "I'll fucking… figure something out, okay? Just hang on a bit."

"Thank you," Gray said with relief. "You're not so bad," she added with a wink.

* * *

 **Confessional**

 **Gray:** "That served as a good test of how far I can push Sarah," Gray decides. "At least I know she's willing to listen to me if I press her."

 **Sarah:** "If it comes down to it, Ayane can go first I suppose. I can throw out Rei after that – she seems like a nuisance anyway."

* * *

At the Bear's camp, their house was nearly done. All that was lacking was what remains to do of the thatched roof being put together. Paul was wandering the edge of the camp with Ryan.

"I am quite confident in our imminent victory," Ryan said. "Look at us – we _do_ have one of the most beautiful competitors, do we not?

"You're referring to yourself, aren't you?" Paul sighed. "Yeah, sure. Whatever, dude."

Out in the distance, a wolf howled.

Ryan looked shocked. "Did you hear that?"

"Yeah…" Paul responded. "Maybe we should build a fence or wall? I'm not enthusiastic about getting eaten by wolves."

"Me neither, animal bites leave disgusting scars," Ryan said.

Paul jogged back to the shelter, where Diana and Seamus were working. Vi was reading a book just below. "Yeah, I don't know if you heard the _wolves_ out there, but I'm not in the mood to get mauled to death today, so if you guys could get a wall up, I'd be grateful. _Thanks_."

"I heard as well," Vi agreed.

"That'll take a lot of time to surround the entire camp, though," Diana considered.

"The house looks nearly done, we have time," Paul countered. "Besides, I'm sure _not_ dying is a priority for the team."

"Yeah, I got it," Diana decided. "We'll work on it."

"I saw a field of boulders nearby," Vi said monotonously. "I was surveying our present location, thought they were a waste of mental energies at the time. Perhaps they may be of use to you?"

Diana gave Vi an odd look. "Yeah…"

* * *

 **Confessional**

 **Paul:** "So yeah, I didn't sign up to this stupid show to get maimed. Thankfully, they're willing to listen to some common sense."

 **Vi:** "I admit I do not have much understanding of people my age – on most days, I spend my time indoors reading novels that which intrigue me. Indeed, I have never even been to regular school – my parents are responsible for my education."

* * *

The Screaming Eagles house was nearly complete. They had a roof and walls, but the house didn't look very sturdy. Cecilia, Sarah, Gray, and Isaac stood at the edge admiring their work. "Alright, so who wants to take the first step?" Isaac asked.

"Thanks for volunteering," Sarah said with a smirk.

"Whooa," Isaac said with his hands up. "I'm not going anywhere _near_ that death trap."

"I was joking," Sarah responded. "I'll be back, I'm gonna grab Oregon." She walked away from the area, and immediately Cecilia grabbed hold of Isaac and Gray.

"Can you guys keep a secret?" she asked them.

" _Heheheeeeeh!"_ Isaac snorted. "Actually, that depends on what the secret is. If you tell me you're a serial killer, I kinda got to tell, you know?"

Cecilia frowned. "I'm planning on voting out Sarah the first time we lose," she told them.

"Sarah?" Gray asked. "All she's done so far is become team dictator. Why _ever_ would you want to vote her out?" she joked.

"I'm just saying, she needs to go or nobody else here even stands a chance at winning. She's getting too powerful too fast. Everyone's practically eating out of her hands and its only day one."

"Does she have an alliance?" Isaac asked.

"I don't think so," Cecilia admitted. "Not yet. But I do – I've already got Ayane and Oregon on board. If I can get you two, that's five with me."

"Five," Isaac said. "Tyrenee's on my side."

"That's great," Cecilia said. "First time we lose, vote for Sarah. That's what's best for everyone. Tell Tyrenee the same thing."

"Will do," Isaac smiled.

"Gray?" she asked. "Can I count on you?"

"You've got it!" she said.

Suddenly, Sarah walked back on seen with Oregon in tow. "What're you guys talking about?" she asked suspiciously as she arrived.

"Well, I've got this really _weird_ bump down below my -" Gray started.

"Never mind," Sarah interrupted. "I don't want to know."

Oregon spoke up. "So you need me to test out how stable the house is?" he asked. He pushed on the walls a bit. "I feel safe enough to try it out," he decided.

Oregon took a step inside… and to their relief, it held his weight.

"Like I said," Cecilia began with a smirk. "The wood's stable. It'll hold all of us."

"Good work, people," Sarah congratulated. "Looks like our work is done."

* * *

 **Confessional**

 **Cecilia:** "I feel like I'm playing too hard right now…" She takes in a deep breath and sighs. "Maybe… they'll thank me later though. Sarah either goes now… or she's in the final four, at least."

 **Isaac:** "How do I vote… decisions, decisions…"

 **Gray:** "These events are most important to Cici!" she announces. "I remain loyal to my lord and master Sarah! I wonder if I should start calling Sarah my lord and master to her face…"

* * *

Back on the Bears, some of the strongest members worked to arrange boulders into a wall surrounding the campsite for safety.

"Keep going!" Seth cheered. "Almost there."

"Seth…" Diana panted as she pushed as hard as she could against her back to move a boulder nearly twice her size. "Don't you have anywhere else to be?" she asked.

"Nah, house is done and I got food," he said with a smile. "I'm free to cheer you guys on!"

Diana got the rock into place, nearly completing the protective wall. "What about water?"

"We got a river," he said. "We can just fill the buckets with water whenever we need."

"Is there really nothing better you could be doing?" she frowned. "I heard Paul needs some help with… something."

"Paul's a sourpuss," he huffed.

Diana walked off to get another stone, and Seth followed her.

"Sooo, what do you do for fun?"

"Hunt," Diana said simply.

"Right, right… so… I've been meaning to ask," Seth tried to say.

"What?" she replied dully.

"What do you think of Kiki?" he asked.

"You mean Kiara?" Diana asked curiously. "I think she's alright. She's got the wrong idea with Van, though."

"I mean… do you think she'd go out with me if I asked?" he said.

"I'm afraid she might do _anything_ anyone asked of her," she sighed. "Hey – I'd stay away from her if you know what's good for you. I'm sure you wouldn't want to get associated with Van anymore than you need."

"That's cool. I'm in an alliance with her. Are you saying there's something wrong with Kiki?"

"Wait, you're in an alliance with Kiara? When did that happen?"

"She asked me a little while ago," he said. "You think that means she likes me?"

"Like I said – stay away from her. It's bad enough _she's_ close to Van too. I don't want you to get drug into him too."

"I'll keep that in mind," he considered. "But I think I'll let love be my guide."

* * *

 **Confessional**

 **Seth:** "Wait… If Kiara's in an alliance with Van, does that means I'm in a love triangle now? Does she like Van more than me? I think I might need to impress her."

 **Diana:** "I think Van probably put Kiara up to getting Seth in their alliance," she said. "Weird that she didn't tell him about Van though."

* * *

Ayane, Wyvern, Rei, and Aiden stood and admired the finished product that was their cabin. "It doesn't look particularly stable," Wyvern pointed out unsteadily.

"If _I_ had helped, it would've been perfect!" Rei shouted.

"Why didn't you?" Wyvern asked.

"I happened to catch _fish,"_ she shouted. "It's better than what any of these other _idiots_ came up with! Seriously, this house is a joke."

"I think it's perfect," Ayane said joyfully. "All it needs is for me to paint a mural!"

"A mural?" Rei scoffed. "I'm sure we'll appreciate your art while we starve on this island!"

"I thought you said you got fish?" Wyvern pointed out. "Anyway, I didn't know you were an artist. That's pretty cool."

"I am…" she nodded. "Art is my passion. I-I want to be famous someday."

"The odds of you ever gaining any notability are astronomical," Rei observed. "You'd have to be incredibly lucky – you'll never be anything."

"I think being an artist is something special!" Aiden said with hope. "I think Ayane has what it takes!"

"How naive," Rei dismissed. "Do what you want, I'll have no part in this."

"Wait, how are you going to paint" Wyvern asked. "We don't exactly have a lot of art supplies lying around."

"I brought my own," she answered.

* * *

 **Confessional**

 **Ayane:** "I-If I can do my art here, this place won't be so bad… I-I guess… Am I trying to hard to be useful? I just don't want them to think I'm useless…"

 **Rei:** "They expect to win a challenge centered around being a survival shelter by _painting?!_ Honestly, I am surrounded by weak-minded fools. This whole island is a joke."

 **Aiden:** "We have an artist on our team? There's no way we can lose!"

* * *

Seamus pushed the final stone of their fort into place, forming a stone fence around the shelter. "It's done!" he announced. Not only was the fence complete, but their shelter was too.

"Finally," Diana said out of relief. "Maybe now we can all get some rest before we go to get judged."

"Hmm, that would be nice!" he decided.

"Yeah… you're still okay with voting for Van if we lose, right?" she asked. "I don't want someone like him sticking around more than he needs to."

"I'm still okay with it," he assured.

"What are you two talking about?" Andrew walked into the area and lifted an eyebrow suspiciously. "Voting out Van?"

Diana exhaled. "Yes, we're gonna vote out Van. Surely you understand, right? You'll vote with us?"

"Perhaps," he smirked. "Unless it might serve me to tell him what you're planning. I wonder how he might react?

"Don't!" she shouted.

"I'll probably stay silent," Andrew relented. "I don't recommend letting this slip out though. Van'll go ballistic if he hears the slightest whiff of him being voted out."

"Believe me, I know his type," she said.

"So you'll vote with us, right?" Seamus asked.

"I said I'd stay quiet – I said nothing of the sort regarding my vote. That sort of thing is between me and the ballot."

"Why even pretend to side with him?" Diana said flatly. "He's obviously an irredeemable asshole. Siding with him is… unimaginable."

"Perhaps…" Andrew considered. "But think about this – this is a game for a million dollars. I'd be a fool not to consider my options. As far as I can tell, Van has a target on his back. As long as people are trying to get rid of him, they're _not_ trying to get rid of me."

"That's like… condoning the way he behaves, though," the girl said.

"There are shades of grey to things," Andrew told her.

"Aren't you rich, anyway?" Diana asked him.

He grimaced. "Appearances can be… deceiving."

* * *

 **Confessional**

 **Diana:** "Is Andrew trying to openly tell me that he might side with Van? Why? Why side with him?" she asks the camera. "I don't understand it – I'm just trying to do right by people and win a million dollars."

 **Andrew:** "Do I really want to associate with Van? Perhaps not. However, for now I should be keeping my allegiances to myself. I need to remain neutral until I have a firmer grasp on my competition. It's a shame, I would've liked to speak with some members of the other team to that end."

* * *

"Everyone, listen to me," Van demanded. "I want to have an open forum on who we're going to eliminate tonight." Van, Ryan, and Vi sat inside of the new shelter while several other members of the team stood outside.

Van stepped outside as he addressed them.

"I don't particularly wanna listen to you," Diana decided.

"Then piss off and I'll talk to the ones who _do_ ," Van scoffed. Diana huffed and stormed off from the area. "Everyone else, I'm taking suggestions on who _we_ should ditch first. Personally, I wanna get rid of Vi."

That got her attention. She lifted her head from her book. "Excuse me? For what reason?"

"Do I need to say? You didn't help at all during the construction. You just sat and read," he complained. "Do have a defense to that?"

"My apologies," she said stoically. "I was hoping to have finished this by the end of this day. Unfortunately, I did not manage to do so. The language in this book was unnecessarily dense, thus it took more time to decipher."

"I don't care about your stupid book," he said. "You didn't pull your weight. You need to go."

"I will concede that this book is not of particularly high quality," she said. "However, I feel like you are attempting to use myself as a scapegoat to avoid your fear of elimination."

"That… That's baseless assumption!" he accused. He reached back into the shelter and grabbed her by the arm. "Shut up and take your elimination peacefully."

"It was a mere observation," she said boredly. "If it's not true, then I believe it hardly warrants this time of reaction."

He stared at her in silence. "Fucking emote!" he snapped suddenly. He threw her back on the ground and she immediately went back to reading as if nothing happened. "Creepy bitch," he muttered to himself.

"I believe that refers to Morrigan as well," Ryan pointed out.

"Forget this," Van hissed. "We'll talk about this later when people are willing to _respect_ me! Get your attitudes on straight, shitheads!"

* * *

 **Confessional**

 **Ryan:** "I do not understand Van's deal. Is he perhaps jealous that he is not one so beautiful as myself? Such vanity cannot be excused."

 **Vi:** "This is is what had concerned me before the game. Van is a less than ideal person for the team, but he indeed has a point. I was too busy reading and keeping to myself, and so my indolence has led me into becoming a target on the first day. If I survive this night, I will need to work harder in the future."

* * *

The cameras cut back to Ayane working on a mural on the back wall of the shelter with Sarah watching. "It looks good so far," she complimented.

Gray tugged on Sarah's arm from behind. "Hey Sarah," she whispered. "I need you real quick."

She obliged and followed her to a secluded area. "Is this about Aiden?" she questioned. "I've already said I'm willing to compromise."

"Right…" Gray said awkwardly. "Aight, so don't get upset or anything, but I have some bad news."

"Yeah?" she said suspiciously.

"I want to make double sure you won't freak out… 'kay?"

"Just tell me," she sighed. "Get it over with."

"Okay… Cici told me to help vote you out," Gray said quickly. "Isaac sounded like he agreed, and she said Oregon and Ayane were with her too."

Sarah clenched her fists. " _What?"_

"See, I told you not to freak and what did you do? Freak out!"

"I'll deal with her." Sarah shoved her aside and started storming back to the camp.

* * *

 **Confessional**

 **Sarah:** "I will _not_ come in last," she hisses. "Cecilia will be rewarded at the elimination ceremony as a traitor deserves. This is what I get for putting my trust in her."

* * *

Cecilia was standing idly by the riverside when she heard a voice from behind her suddenly. "Hello Cecilia," Sarah said harshly.

She jumped for a second. "Oh… Sarah? What are you up to?"

"Nothing," she dismissed. "I just heard through the grapevine that _you_ might be planning to vote me out." She held her arms back and leaned forward. "Is that true?"

"Of course not," Cecilia denied. "We're allies, remember?"

"That's funny," she said coldly. "I would think allies wouldn't be in the habit of betraying each other."

"I didn't!" she repeated.

"I think you did," Sarah continued. "Just so you know, when we lose, I _will_ be voting for you."

Cecilia sighed. "That's fine – you know what, I have enough numbers to vote you out anyway."

Sarah clenched her fists and grimaced. "So you admit it? Who are your numbers?"

"Yeah – I admit it," she stated. "Who told you?"

"Nobody did, I figured this out for myself," Sarah lied. "Don't vote for me – or else."

"Scare tactics don't work on me."

"I thought being a genius, you'd have been smart enough not to cross me," Sarah huffed. "I guess you're a bigger fool than I thought."

"I'll be happy when I vote you out," Cecilia said. "At least we'll be out someone _nobody_ likes."

"If you want to vote based on emotions, vote Rei. She's far more unlikable than I."

"She has no power," Cecilia argued. "Unlike you – you have too many people eating out of your hands too early. I _have_ to do this."

"I could have shared that power with you – all you had to do was side with me. I _trusted_ you."

"Look, it's nothing personal – I just felt the best route going forward for me was to vote out the biggest threat. That's you, and I'm sorry. It's just a game though."

"A game for a million dollars. I _won't_ let you lose this for me."

"I'm trying to win too!"

"Who's on your side?"

"So you can go harass them too? Cecilia said. "I'm not telling you anything."

"Then you'll take _all_ the responsibility for this," she decided. "I _will_ be voting for you when we lose."

"Completely fine – there's nothing you can do about it anyway."

* * *

 **Confessional**

 **Cecilia:** "See – this is the type of attitude that I thought Sarah might have. She needs to go as soon as possible. Someone like her can't be allowed to stick around."

 **Sarah:** "Cecilia made a major mistake attempting to get rid of _me._ She'll see the error of her ways soon enough while she's sitting in the Playa Des Losers in _last place!"_

* * *

Van tracked down Morrigan in the woods. She was playing with something in her hands alone, sitting on the ground. "You're in my alliance now," he said to her sternly.

"I'm in an alliance now?" she asked, cocking her head to the side. " _huhuhuh,_ sweet."

"I'm just saying, in my alliance you've got to do what I say when I say it. If we lose, we're voting for… Vi."

Morrigan stared at him blankly.

"The hell are you doing?"

"Sorry… I was just thinking about what a great corpse you'd make," she complimented.

Van huffed. "The first rule of the alliance is that we don't say weird shit like that. It's jacked."

"Why not?"

"Because it's _creepy,"_ he said harshly.

"Why is it creepy?" she asked him. "Sorry, _huhuhuh!"_

"God, forget it," he dismissed. "Whatever, just as long as you're willing to do _whatever_ I say, it's fine. Just remember to keep your mouth shut every once and a while, okay?"

"Okey-dokey!"

"The hell are you doing anyway?" Van asked her.

"I found a dead frog!" she said happily. She was playing with it as if it were a doll. "Wanna play?"

Van sighed and walked away. "Freakshow," he muttered to himself.

* * *

 **Confessional**

 **Morrigan:** "I got an alliance! _Huhuhuh!"_ She pauses in the confessional for a moment. "What am I supposed to do in an alliance?"

 **Van:** "Deciding to align myself with _her_ wasn't my ideal choice… but there aren't that many people on this team who want to be next to me. Figures, I'd get stuck with the stupid ones."

* * *

Wyvern took a photo of Ayane's mural after it was finally done as Isaac watched. "It's really good," he complimented. The mural was a painting of every member of the Screaming Eagles. "We might win on this alone."

"Thanks," Ayane blushed. "I tried my hardest." She put her paint away and stood up. "I'm just glad the house didn't fall while I was working."

"Yeah… it's a bit of a ways down there, isn't it?" Wyvern said. "Ah, but I'm sure it's fine. I'm sure the others knew what they were doing. I hope," he said unsteadily.

Just outside, the two of them heard voices a distance away from the house. "You're being selfish, Cecilia!" Sarah's voice called out. "Get back here!"

"Calm down," Cecilia sighed. "I've told you a thousand times, it's just a game. Get off my back. I'm _sorry_ it has to be this way."

"Ouch," Isaac cringed. "Sounds like some drama goin' on out there."

"What went down?" Wyvern asked.

"From what I've been told, Sarah's upset Cecilia was gunning for her."

"I haven't heard anything about that," Wyvern said. "Why does Cecilia want Sarah gone?"

"It's just a power struggle," Isaac dismissed.

"Cecilia told me to vote for Sarah…" Ayane said.

"Yeah, she said the same to me an' Gray," Isaac said to her. "Looks like Gray probably leaked the information. I think it was a mistake for Cici to trust her – she's too chaotic."

"Nobody said anything me," Wyvern said with a bit of bitterness.

"A-Are you voting Sarah?" Ayane asked for confirmation.

Isaac snorted. "We'll see."

"I don't really want to take a side," Wyvern said. "I don't think it's a good idea to get drug into this fight. I think I'll just vote Aiden and be done with it."

"You're all acting like we've already lost," Ayane said. "I-Is the painting not good enough?"

"It's not that," Isaac said. "It may not be tonight, but eventually, we _will_ lose. The vote won't be pretty when we do."

* * *

 **Confessional**

 **Wyvern:** "Man – I've really been left out of the loop, huh?"

 **Ayane:** "I-I'm really confused, though… I don't know who to vote for, really. Cecilia wants me to vote for Sarah… but is that for the best? Maybe I should just vote for Aiden like Wyvern so I can be neutral. I don't want to take a side… right?"

* * *

"Hey Mili," Diana said as she walked into the shelter with her and Vi. "How're you holding up?"

"Is okay," she said.

"Yeah… same here, I guess," Diana replied. "I could do without having to deal with Van here, though."

Vi flipped a page in her book. "I have been observing everyone, I have come to the conclusion that Van, distrustworthy that he may be, is not a major threat to me and my gameplay. Andrew, on the other hand, poses a significant threat. Indeed, there is a significant threat within him. He is laying low for now, but I sense he could play extremely well given the circumstances. Van is unlikable, and therefore may be voted at any time without risking stepping on the toes of anyone else. In other words, he is easily dispatched. It would be harder to push a vote onto Andrew."

"Well that was… interesting," Diana said.

"No entiendo?" Mili said.

"Ah… my apologies," Vi stated. "I had forgotten that you speak hardly any English. My thought process of most likely lost on you, correct?"

"Um… si?" she said confusedly.

"I understand," Vi nodded. "Still, I apologize for being inconsiderate. Diana? Do you have any thoughts on my thought process? Surely you understand the way that which I am thinking, yes?"

"Uh, I'm with her," she defended. "I don't really understand half of what you said. But to each their own, I suppose. Whatever floats your boat."

"I was just thinking out loud, I suppose," Vi said. "Perhaps I will vote for Van to start with, just to be safe. It will be a long time before the merge – I do not feel he will be much of a threat to me until then. After all – he did openly suggest voting me off in front of my face."

"That… would be best," Diana agreed. "At least to separate Kiara from him. She's in over her head with him."

"Is she though?" Vi considered. "Perhaps it would be worth considering how much autonomy Kiara actually has."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Diana asked suspiciously.

"Ah… forget I said anything," Vi said. "Perhaps it would be to keep an eye on her, just in case."

* * *

 **Confessional**

 **Vi:** "Is it immoral of me to suspect Kiara of not being the most honest of people?" she questions. "Perhaps – but she reminds of the usual suspect of my novels. Someone who appears weak or innocent, but is actually the mastermind."

 **Diana:** "What's up with Vi?" she asks. "Those were some really confusing thoughts. Does she usually think out loud like that?"

* * *

Antony stood above the river with a makeshift spear. "Here fishy fishy!" he called out. The thrust the spear into the water and pulled out a large fish. "Hell yeah! I'm Antony Kaliere – ultimate fish hunter!"

"Hey, Antony," Cecilia sighed from behind.

"Oh!" he gasped. "It's a nerd! Piss of yah nerd!"

"Yeah, yeah," she said. "I'm just here because Sarah keeps… bugging me about my vote. At least you're not half as annoying as you are."

"I'm not annoying! I'm a man! Hell yeah!" he shouted.

"Would you help me with my problem?" she asked. "I just need to make sure I have enough votes to ditch her for good. Would you… vote for her if you had the opportunity?"

"I'm voting for little man, one-hundred percent!" he called. "He keeps bugging me and shit!"

"Are you talking about Aiden?" she asked. "Look, please just do me this one thing. I _need_ her gone or it might be me!"

"You're a nerd!" he mocked. "I can't save you!"

* * *

 **Confessional**

 **Cecilia:** "So much for that idea – I should be fine," she says hollowly.

* * *

Isaac and Tyrenee were hanging out by a lone tree at the edge of the woods. "Listen – we need to think about which way we're voting in this disaster," he said to her.

"I heard what happened – sounds like something I want no part of," Tyrenee decided.

"The faster we get rid of one of 'em, the faster this disaster will be over," Isaac said.

"Right… which one of them has the bigger alliance?" Tyrenee asked.

"Cici said she had the bigger alliance – she said she got Ayane and Oregon, and she got Gray right in front of my eyes. Then again, I think Gray leaked Cecilia's plans to Sarah."

"So then, Cecilia technically has the most power?" she said.

"As far as I can tell," he replied.

"So then it seems obvious to me," Tyrenee decided. "We vote out Cecilia."

"Right..." he said. "But Cecilia does have a point – a lot of people are listening to Sarah."

"But they're not actually _aligned_ with her," Tyrenee reasoned. "We've got more freedom under Sarah – with Cecilia, us neutrals are bound to get targeted eventually."

"How do we know it won't be the same for Sarah?" Isaac asked. "Plus, if I vote for Cecilia, I'd be breaking my word. I told her I'd vote for Sarah."

"I think we should decide this on the spot," Tyrenee decided. "We're going to come up with a lot of reasons why or why not – we'll make the best decision in the elimination ceremony."

"Aight," Isaac relented. "Sounds okay to me."

"You know… you're smelly as all hell," Tyrenee smirked. "But you're not a bad partner."

"Same," he said. "Minus the smelly part."

* * *

 **Confessional**

 **Tyrenee:** "I'm leaning toward voting for Cecilia for the reasons I stated with Isaac. She's got a bigger alliance than Sarah and as a scientist, I think she might be more of a threat."

* * *

Paul shoved his hands in his pockets as he looked at the finished Bear's camp. "Looks alright, I guess," he decided.

"Alright?" Diana asked in surprise. "I think we did far better than alright!"

"Look, it's not a mansion," Paul dismissed. "We can live in it. What do you want, a medal? It's good enough."

"I think it is of above average quality," Vi stated.

"Whatevs," Paul muttered.

* * *

The cameras cut to a scene of Chris standing next to a cliff small overlooking the lake with a campfire on top. A set of stairs led down to a dock and a waiting tugboat. He had a microphone up to his mouth. "Listen up, campers!" Chris announced. "We're getting ready to judge your shelters! Get your butts up to the elimination area pronto, and I'll judge your shelters while you're on the way here!"

* * *

Along the Screaming Eagle's team, Aiden followed Sarah and Gray behind the back. "Listen, bud," Sarah began to tell him. "I've been planning to vote you out up until now."

"Oh!" he cried. "I don't want to go yet!"

" _But_ I have a way for you to save yourself," she offered with a smile.

"Please! I'll do anything."

"Look, if we lose this, I want you to vote for Cecilia – and in any future votes we might have, I need you to vote the way I tell you to. No questions. Just vote."

"I-I can do that!" he said.

"Good," she decided. "You can consider yourself safe with me. You get to go to the merge, then. Maybe even final three with me and Gray."

"I get to be in the final three?" he asked happily.

"Yup – and all you have to do is vote. Isn't that easy?"

"Thank you!" he cheered. "You're my hero!"

* * *

 **Confessional**

 **Sarah:** "Gray won't let me vote out Aiden, so the best alternative was using him to vote out Cecilia. He might not be all that strong, but I have no doubt he'll vote whatever way I tell him in the future. If he doesn't… he'll meet the same fate Cecilia will," she says sternly.

 **Gray:** "I think I managed to save Aiden – Unless something _really_ weird happens, it'll be either Sarah or Cici gone guaranteed. I think I made the right alliance – Sarah's a major stick in the mud, but she's willing to listen to me and compromise when she has to. That goes a long way for me. Plus, she finds me amusing, so there's that."

* * *

Van grabbed Kiara by the arm as they walked to the elimination area. He pulled her off a little into the distance behind the team. "Listen to me," he began. "I want you to vote off _Vi_ if we lose," he told her. "Can you do that?"

She only stared at him blankly.

"I said can you do that!" he shouted. "When I say something, I expect an answer!"

She didn't say anything.

"Fuck… I told you not to say shit. Fine, you can talk. Jesus."

"I'm okay with voting for Vi," Kiara said finally.

"Good," he finished. "At least you're not completely useless," he said bitterly as he walked off to join the others in the group again.

Kiara shoved her hands in her pockets and followed silently.

* * *

 **Confessional**

 **Van:** "Half the team is useless, so it's hard to keep them in line. Give them time, though. They _will_ learn to respect me!"

 **Kiara:** "Van… honestly scares me a little. It's hard to put up with him but..." she sighs. "It's for the better of my game is all I can tell myself. As long as people hate him, nobody's gunning for me."

* * *

"Alright, people," the host greeted as everyone reached the campfire area. "I've went and reviewed your shelters as well as looked at the footage we have so far to see what kind of effort you put into them," he said. "And overall, I'm pleased with what _both_ team came up with. It was a very tough call to make… I'm kidding. One of you lost _big time!_ "

"Awful?" Sarah questioned. "I don't think we did bad… so they have to be the team that lost, right?"

"Our shelter's pretty good though," Diana said with confusion.

"Killer Bears… you built a simple shelter. It was a large empty room surrounded by walls with a single entryway. It was basically just an enclosed box… _but_ the fence around the campsite was a nice touch," he said. "And, you put a lot of effort into it."

"That… could be a better rating," Andrew said cautiously.

"Screaming Eagles, your shelter was a picturesque building set onto the side of a cliff overlooking the land below. You had a window to see below as well as a nice mural of everyone on the team," he complimented to Ayane's enjoyment. "However… it looks like a death trap. I certainly would _not_ want to step in there, and I'm not sure how any of _you_ had the guts to."

"Sounds like a stellar review to me," Sarah considered.

"Which is why I've decided that the team that lost the challenge is… the Screaming Eagles!" he announced.

"Wait, what?" Sarah recoiled. "You just said we had a picturesque setting? What about the mural? I thought you said you liked it!"

"I did," Chris admitted. "But you've forgotten the part about it being a rickety as hell _death trap_. Only someone that wants to die would set foot in there!"

"I measured carefully," Cecilia countered. "It should certainly be capable of support all of our weights."

"Doesn't matter – it doesn't look structurally sturdy, so you lose," he decided. "Killer Bears, you can all clear out of here."

"Wait, so you brought us all the way here just to send us back?" Paul questioned.

"Yeah, pretty much," Chris decided. "It makes it easier on the losers though." The Killer Bears collectively groaned and grudgingly started to leave the area. "Screaming Eagles… I'll give you all a minute to think about how you're gonna vote."

* * *

 **Confessional**

 **Cecilia:** "So we lost…" she sighs. "I think I have the numbers to get through this vote, but… I'm a little nervous. I'll admit, I'm not entirely sure if Isaac is actually on my side or not. And if _he's_ not on my side, that means Tyrenee isn't either."

 **Sarah:** "I refuse to be voted out on the first night here – Cecilia _will_ be eliminated."

 **Isaac:** "Looks like I got a decision to make… _heheheeeeeeh!"_

* * *

Everyone on the team took seats on stumps surrounding a fire. Chris was behind an oil drum turned podium holding a plate of marshmallows. "Now listen up, I have ten marshmallows on the plate!" he called out. "That's one marshmallow for ever Eagle… except one. If you do not get a marshmallow, you will walk the new Dock of Shame… board the Boat of Losers… and stay at the newly constructed Playa Des Losers 2.0."

"I wonder who that'll be?" Sarah directed at Cecilia.

"Please don't be me!" Cecilia begged. "I don't think I could bare the embarrassment of last place…"

"Face it, Cici," Sarah called. "You played too hard too quickly. When you lose, it'll be on nobody but yourself."

"I was only doing what I thought I needed to," Cecilia countered. "If I'm voted out… I'll have to accept that. Would you be as graceful?" she accused.

"I won't need to worry about them. I'll be sitting in first place," Sarah boasted.

"Antony… Rei… Oregon," Chris began. "You three get the first marshmallows. None of you got any votes cast against them."

"Sweet!" Oregon said as he caught his marshmallow.

"Hell yeah!" Antony shouted.

"It's only natural," Rei bragged. "They would be fools to vote me out – I have the greatest mind on this team, after all."

"Whatever you say," Tyrenee snarked.

"Tyrenee, Wyvern, and Gray… none of you got any votes either," Chris announced as he tossed the three of them their marshmallows.

"Thanks Chris," Tyrenee said as she caught her marshmallow.

"It's delicious!" said Wyvern.

"Chaos lives on!" Gray said.

"And finally… Isaac, you didn't receive a vote against you," Chris told him. He tossed him his marshmallow and Isaac gave a little chuckle. "As for the rest of you… Ayane, Aiden, Sarah… and Cecilia. All four of you got at least one vote cast against you," Chris told them. "One of the four of you will be going home."

Aiden crossed his fingers. "Please don't be me," he muttered.

Cecilia and Sarah stole glances at each other. "Oh, I got a vote," Sarah said. "I wonder where that came from," she added dully.

"I expected to get at least one vote," Cecilia admitted.

Ayane drew her legs closer to herself out of worry.

"With one vote against them, the next marshmallow goes to… Ayane," Chris said as he gave her the treat.

"Please don't be me!" Aiden repeated with increased worry.

"With only _two_ votes against them… Aiden is also safe!" he called out. Aiden breathed a sigh of relief as he finally got his marshmallow.

"Wait…" Rei said. "What _idiots_ voted for Cecilia and Sarah?" she questioned. "They're some of the best people here. Ayane and Aiden are the weak fucking shits. Why the hell are they safe?"

"Ask Cecilia," Sarah accused. "This disaster is all her fault. I _wanted_ to vote off someone weak first."

"It was for the best!" Cecilia defended.

It was down to Cecilia and Sarah. "Ladies," Chris said, holding a plate with one marshmallow on it. "One of the two of you _will_ be eliminated tonight. Your hopes of _ever_ winning a million dollars off this game will be gone in an instant."

"Get on with it – we all know it'll be Cici!" Sarah mocked.

"It wont' be me," she countered. "I believe everyone here will do what's right."

"I think they all did what's best for them – and that's get rid of the cancer on this tribe."

"Ow," Tyrenee cringed. "I could feel that jab all the way over here."

"Did you just call me cancer?" Cecilia asked in shock.

"Bite me," Sarah said smugly.

"With three votes against her… the final marshmallow goes to… Sarah!" Chris finally finished. "Sorry Cecilia, but you're out."

Sarah grabbed the marshmallow out of the air smoothly. "Looks like I win!" she smiled.

Cecilia stood up defiantly and addressed her old team. "Listen to me, guys. One day, when Sarah wins this game, you will all regret voting me out," she said regretfully. "For all of your sake, I hope you vote her out soon – because if you don't, there won't be anything to stop her."

"Don't be bitter," Sarah accused. "You lost, fair and square. Don't try to take me down with you."

"I'm not being bitter," Cecilia said confidently. "I'm giving them a warning. Just keep what I said in mind, okay guys."

"I gotcha girl," Isaac said with a wink.

"I'm still rooting for you guys," Cecilia told them. "Go out there and kick some Killer Bear ass," she said with a wink. "I'll see whoever's next at the Playa, I guess."

Cecilia started walking down the stairs to the Dock of Shame.

"This is what happens when you try to vote me out," Sarah warned, addressing the team. "Next person to try that will meet the same fate."

* * *

 **Confessional – Voting**

 **Sarah:** "I think my vote tonight should be obvious. Cecilia is trying to vote me out – so I shall return the favor. This is what treachery will get you on _my_ team."

 **Cecilia:** "I'm doing what's best for everyone… I vote for Sarah."

 **Isaac:** "So Cici has the bigger alliance, eh?" he says. "Okay, I'll toss my vote at her. I think Sarah's gonna get a big enough circle of hate pointed at her that I can practically get rid of her any time I want, anyway. Cecilia would be a harder target later on."

 **Rei:** "I'm voting for Ayane… in my opinion, the weakest link. They would be idiots to not do the same."

 **Antony:** "Sorry, little man!" he shouts. "I gotta vote for the scrawny kid! Aiden… yeah that's his name!"

* * *

"Next time on Total Drama!" Chris announces as the starts to do the outro. "The campers will take part in an epic game of truth or dare! Only one team can win, and the drama will really pop off for the Killer Bears!" he said. "What kind of truths will be unveiled? What will the next vote bring? Find out right here, on Total! Drama! Nightmare at Pahkiteeeew Island!"

* * *

Cecilia sat alone on the boat of losers. "Yeah – I'm bummed I came in last place. I mean, I'm a prodigy, for God's sake. I should be better than this," she admitted. "But I'm not mad at them either. I understand I was a bit of a threat because of my fame and intelligence." She sighed deeply and slumped her head into her hands. "I'm probably gonna become known as the genius the came in last place now, though…"

* * *

 _AN: Eliminating Cecilia in 22_ _nd_ _again kind of pains me. She does have a lot more potential to develop than a lot of others, but I also knew from the beginning that a strategist needed to go first to set to scene. Cecilia was pretty kind, while also being one of the larger strategic forces. In the end, eliminating her served to give Sarah some credibility as a force to be reckoned with on the Screaming Eagles, and so it was done._

* * *

 **Screaming Eagles**

Sarah: The StratBot

Ayane: The Shy Girl

Aiden: The Weakling

Wyvern: The Tourist

 _Cecilia: The Child Prodigy [22_ _nd_ _]_

Gray: The Nutcase

Rei: The Aggressive Genius

Tyrenee: The Loner

Isaac: The Trailer King

Antony: The Self-Glorious

Oregon: The Adventurer

 **Killer Bears**

Vi: The Stoic

Van: The Cutthroat

Diana: The Country Girl

Seth: The Hacker

Mili: The Desperate Foreigner

Ryan: The Vanity Magnet

Paul: The Sarcastic One

Kiara: The Socially Anxious

Morrigan: The Creepy Girl

Andrew: The Rich Heir

Seamus: The Student Athlete


	3. Episode 3 - Dangerous Lies

_AN: Sorry about how long this took to come out, finals were coming up and it took quite a bit of my time. Chapters should come out a little bit faster as of now though, so don't worry. I don't plan on dropping this any time soon!_

* * *

 **Screaming Eagles:** Isaac, Sarah, Gray, Wyvern, Ayane, Tyrenee, Antony, Rei, Oregon, Aiden.

 **Killer Bears:** Morrigan, Vi, Andrew, Van, Kiara, Seth, Diana, Seamus, Mili, Ryan, Paul.

* * *

Chris McLean stood at the new Dock of Shame getting ready to do the introduction as usual. He flashed a smile toward the camera. "Last time on Total Drama, a new game of chills and spills began with twenty-two teenagers being airlifted to their camps and homes for the next few weeks. Alliances were formed, and houses were built." The cameras cut to scenes of Van, Sarah, and Cecilia making alliances with people.

"On the Screaming Eagles, Sarah wasted no time forming an alliance with Gray… and later Cecilia, the latter of whom turned out to be a mistake," he said. "Because she ended up trying to form an alliance to vote her out. The two ended up bickering about it… a lot. When the Eagle's lost the challenge and it was time to vote, it ended up being Cecilia being voted out because some saw her as a threat _and_ she betrayed Sarah – who did _not_ take it well. The vote ended up being an arguing match between Sarah and Cecilia."

"On the Killer Bears," Chris continued. "The team arrived to find a beautiful flower meadow all to themselves. Things quickly went sour for them as Van continued to play fast and hard – Kiara and he ended up in a three man alliance that expanded to include Seth and Morrigan – but Kiara might be having second thoughts about sticking close to them. Who will succumb to the pressure this time, on Total… Drama… Nightmare at Paaaaahkitew Island!"

* * *

(Opening Theme)

* * *

The Killer Bears were walking back to their shelter after winning the challenge. "Congrats on the win guys," Diana said. "We did good."

"On the subject, I would like to apologize for my lackluster performance in the construction of the shelter," Vi stated from behind Diana. "At the time, I did not feel it was necessary enough to intervene in the construction – I did not understand that there would be resentment directed toward me. I intend to make up for it in the following challenge, if possible."

"I'm not upset," Diana shrugged. "Van's the one that harped on it."

"Regardless, if one person is upset, I am sure that there are most likely others as well. It is best to clear out the air as soon as possible. Do you not agree?" she asked.

"I guess."

"If you're done – there's nothing you _can_ do to save yourself, now," Van scoffed. "You've already proven your worth, and I'm not satisfied."

"Maybe you will change your mind given time," Vi responded.

"Unlikely," Diana frowned. "I know people like Van. They're not much to change their minds."

"Look, I'm just sayin' she had her chance and she blew it," Van said.

"You're just looking for a scapegoat so it won't be _you_ when we lose next time."

"Hmph," Van groaned. "Whatever."

* * *

 **Confessional**

 **Vi:** "Van seems to be fixated on eliminating me quite early," she says. "Perhaps, before making a push to eliminate him, I should test to see if I can push him off of voting for me. There are always two ways to avoid someone who wants you gone – get rid of them first, or get them to side with you. It might be best to attempt both at the same time, if at all possible."

* * *

After Cecilia's elimination, the Eagles were left to walk back to their shelter dejectedly. The camera moved to the front of their line, where Sarah and Gray walked side-by-side.

"Aren't you going to thank me?" Gray said lightly. "I _did_ totally save your sorry butt, after all."

"That is true," Sarah admitted. "I suppose if you hadn't said anything to me about Cecilia, I would have certainly been eliminated tonight."

"And?" Gray smiled.

"And thanks for that," Sarah continued. "And I'm sorry things had gotten so… heated toward the end of the elimination ceremony."

"Yeaaah, that wasn't fun. Maybe next time we could eliminate someone with smiles?" she said with a wink.

"Don't count on it," Sarah grinned.

"Anyway – it's not me you should be apologizing to. I'm already on your side… you might have gotten rid of Cici, but she had friends… and I don't think they're very enthusiastic about keeping you around, right?"

"I'll find a way to deal with them."

"Remember, it's just you, me, and Aiden right now. We don't have the voting power to keep you around if things get too disastrous."

"I'll keep that in mind," Sarah assured.

Gray stopped in her tracks and lightly grabbed the taller girl by the arm. "Hey, don't be playing too hard, okay?" she requested. "Have a little fun while you're here. Having trust in these people goes a long way. Nobody wants to hear you talk strategy every second. Hang loose… or something like that."

Sarah gave a slight laugh and smirked. "You, of all people, are giving me advice?"

"Now, now, let's not get judgmental," Gray defended. "I'm a lot of things – quirky, energetic, eccentric. I admit to all of them proudly. But I'm that way because I don't see the point in being totally stiff and humorless… like you."

" _Hah_ , looks like there's a brain in there, after all."

"I need it to live, after all," Gray joked.

* * *

 **Confessional**

 **Gray:** "I don't mean to be prideful… but I'm totally taking credit for Cici's elimination," she says happily. "World renowned genius up against bubbly nutjob? I win every time."

 **Sarah:** "Gray, though naive as she is, has a point. Continuing to antagonize the others will earn myself nothing but their ire. If I don't want _myself_ to be next… I need to calm down a little."

* * *

The cameras cut back to the Bears camp as the team finally arrived from judging. "Right, I'm just gonna hit the hay," Diana said as she arrived at the shelter. She moved forward and looked behind her. "Anyone else tired?"

"The less time I spend conscious during this nightmare, the better," Paul quipped.

A second passed before Seamus noticed something. "Hey, has anybody seen Seth?"

"Er… didn't he come back with us?" Kiara said.

"I don't think he did," Diana said. "I don't rightly remember him being in the group on the way back. Think he somehow got lost?"

"No man left behind!" Seamus shouted. "We should definitely look for him!"

"Forget about it," Van said forcefully. He shoved Diana aside as he went inside the shelter. He shouted from inside. "He probably got eaten by a bear anyway. One less person in the way of the million dollars, haha!"

"Hey, don't shove me!" Diana said sternly. She quickly followed him into the shelter and crossed her arms. "You know, first time we lose, it's _you_ going home."

"No, it won't," he said smugly. Van laid against the wall and relaxed. "You know, people like you should learn their place. I understand the world in a way _you_ don't. It's kill or be killed. Now get out of here, your presence disturbs me."

Diana gave an animalistic grown. With all the force she should, she kicked Van's leg, he immediately recoiled in pain and shot back up to his feet.

"You'll pay for that!" he growled, and then scoffed. "Tch… bitch."

Diana huffed and stormed back out of the shelter. "I'm gonna need a moment to cool off!" she said to the rest of her team outside.

The camera lingered on the people directly outside as she left – Andrew, Kiara, Paul, and Seamus. Kiara gave a slight sigh. "This is gonna be a fun night…" she said weakly.

"This sort of squabbling is not conducive a team building environment!" Seamus added.

"You don't say?" Paul said.

* * *

 **Confessional**

 **Diana:** "The more time I spend around Van, the worse he gets. Does he _seriously_ have no positive qualities? Like, what's his issue?

 **Morrigan:** "Is Seth dead? What a shame that he never got a proper burial… _huhuh!"_

* * *

"Okay, nothing serious… just a trip through a d-dark and scary forest!" Seth said to himself. "I-I can handle this!" Seth was wandering in the woods alone, using his phone's screen as a flashlight. Dark shapes in the forest seemed to envelope him like claws out for blood.

"J-Just find the control room…"

Seth took a step forward and heard bear growl in the distance. "I-I can't do this!" He took off into a dead sprint away from the area.

* * *

 **Confessional**

 **Seth:** "Maybe trying to find a control room in the dead of night wasn't such a good idea, heheh…"

* * *

As the Screaming Eagles arrived at their camp at night, Tyrenee gave a slight frown. "Am I the only one not particularly exicited to sleep in something I feel like could collapse at any second."

"I don't think it should," Sarah said calmly. "Cecilia said it's safe."

"That's the same person that just went home _first_ , might I add," she replied concernedly.

"Baby," Isaac mocked.

"If you don't want to sleep in here, you're free to sleep outside in the dirt," Sarah said. "Either way, I'm going to go to bed."

"H-Hold one!" Wyvern interrupted. "I want to take a picture of all of us in front of the shelter! It'll be good for the team!"

"No," Sarah said coldly. Gray elbowed her in the ribs hard. "… _Fine_."

Rei scoffed. "I for one, _refuse_ to take part in this incompetence. I'll be sleeping while you _idiots_ goof off and lose sleep for the next challenge."

All of the team got in front of the shelter. The taller contestants, Sarah, Isaac, and Antony, were at the back. Gray, Oregon, Tyrenee, Ayane and Ayane were in the front, and Aiden sat down in front of everyone. Wyvern stood in front of everyone and snapped a photo. "It's a shame Cici couldn't be here."

"She's responsible for her own downfall," Sarah said. The team scattered after the photo shoot.

"I guess I'll just go to bed then…" Ayane said slowly.

"I'll pass on that deathtrap," Tyrenee dismissed. "I'd rather sleep out here."

* * *

 **Confessional**

 **Tyrenee:** "I'm not saying I don't trust the team's architecture skill… but the house is on a bit of a precarious position, you know?"

 **Sarah:** "Hmmm… as far as I can tell, I have two choices of eliminations next time we lose… unless something else comes up," she tells the camera. "I've got Rei, who I know nobody likes and would make easy elimination fodder… or Ayane, who I think voted against me last time _and_ contributes the least to the team – except Aiden. But I'm stuck with Aiden."

* * *

As morning came, Andrew rubbed the sleepy out of his eyes. He saw sunlight peek through one of the cracks in the shelter's walls. "Seth?" he said suddenly. Some time in the night, Seth must have joined the others in the shelter. His clothes were torn and his skin was bruised. Andrew prodded him awake.

"Hrngh… what do you waaaant!" Seth mumbled.

"Where were you last night?" Andrew questioned.

Seth turned on his stomach to face the ground. "I don't wanna talk about it."

Morrigan turned up and cocked her head to the side. "You're not dead? How unfortunate!"

"What?" Seth cringed. He rolled back over and looked indignant. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"I mean… you look like you'd rather be dead right now, _huhuhuh!"_ Morrigan laughed.

Seth leaned up and sighed. "You're one cable short of a power outage…"

Andrew gave the two of them a sly smirk. "I don't think the world can handle this many bad puns at once." He stood up and starting walking out the door. "I think I'd rather go look for food than listen to this any longer."

"Wise choice, Padawan!" Seth joked.

"Good God," Andrew sighed. The rest of the team started to rouse up as he left.

"Heya Seth," Diana said as she raised up. "The hell have you been?"

"Is everyone gonna ask me that?" Seth said boredly. "Come on… I was just walking my dog."

"Really?" Diana said, quirking an eyebrow.

"Oh, you brought a dog!" Morrigan said excitedly. "Can I see him!"

"Hmph," Diana grumbled. "Even if he had a dog, I certainly wouldn't let you near it… you'd probably sacrifice it or something…"

"All I wanna do is pet it..." she pouted. "I only use things that are already _dead_ as sacrifices. It pleases spirits more."

"Right…" Diana said awkwardly. "Regardless, Seth is lying. There is no dog."

"Lying is not nice, Seth!" Morrigan lectured.

"Were you out looking for the idol?" Diana accused.

"I-It was nothing, really!" Seth quickly defended. Diana gave him an odd look before heading outside of the shelter.

* * *

 **Confessional**

 **Seth:** "I'm not good at lying on the spot! It's the best I could come up with! I can't tell them I'm trying to find the control room… I'm sure Seamus would frown on cheating… _heheh_."

* * *

Ayane yawned as morning came on the Eagles camp. She took a peek down below one of the shelter's windows down into the ground far below and shuttered. She slowly sat up from the side and carefully tiptoed out of the shelter. Tyrenee was waiting outside leaning against the wall, still awake.

"How was your night?" she asked sleepily.

"It was okay," Ayane replied. She took a seat next to Tyrenee. "Did you not sleep last night."

"Hah, I'm in this weird spot where I don't even know whether or not I even fell asleep. Has that ever happened to you?"

"Yeah…"

"Who'd you vote for last night?" Tyrenee asked. "Just curious… not trying to push anything."

"Sarah… Cici told me to… She was nice." Ayane pulled her legs closer to herself and sighed.

"I voted for Cecilia, for the record. I'm sure you understand… I just saw her as the bigger immediate threat." Birds were chirping rather loudly in the background.

"WHAT'S THIS!?" a voice called from within their house. "BIRDS HAVE AWOKEN ME! FOUL VERMIN! PISS OFF! YOUR TWEETING ANGERS ME!"

Tyrenee glanced aside to Ayane. "Sounds like the madhouse is waking up."

* * *

The camera moved back inside the team shelter. "Antony! Shut up!" Sarah shouted. "I don't care about the stupid birds, you woke all of _us_ up!"

"You don't understand..." Antony said dramatically. "You don't understand how much sleep means to a manly badass like me!" He jumped and pointed at himself in a theatrical manner. The entire shelter violently rumbled.

"Hey, calm down, dude!" Oregon said and threw his hands in the air. "You're gonna tear down the house… and kill us."

Wyvern crawled out of the shelter and to the river beside it, followed by the rest of the team and Antony as they tried to get away from the potential death trap.

* * *

 **Confessional**

 **Sarah:** "Add Antony to the list of potential eliminations."

* * *

Andrew examined a bush trying to decipher whether or not it was poisonous as he was looking for food. He leaned over and picked on off, giving it a quick look-over.

"Andy!" Seth called out as he ran over to him. "You left me behind!"

Andrew frowned slightly. "I thought you said it was wise of me to leave?"

"Yeah… but Van started getting all mean and grouchy again when he woke up, so I decided to follow you instead. I know some good berries to eat!"

"I'm grateful," Andrew said dully.

"They're not poisonous, I swear!" he said suddenly. "At least I don't think they are… I'm not dead yet, so…"

A loud airhorn suddenly blew through the speakers of the island, and Chris's voice followed shortly behind. "Listen up, campers! You're all gonna meet up at the challenge area pronto! We're gonna have some _fun_ times together. At least… _I'll_ be having fun, hahaha!"

"Challenge area?" Seth asked. "Where's that."

"As far as I remember… it was marked on that map we got."

* * *

 **Confessional**

 **Andrew:** "I'll admit, I don't much understand what makes Seth tick. He's rather clingy and naive… and those puns make me shudder every time. At the same time, I can't shake the feeling that he's always up to something. I mean… he refused to tell me where he was last night. Judging by how long he was gone, I assume he was looking for the idol."

 **Seth:** "Look at me, an ultimate berry forager. Pretty soon they'll all see me as their king… maybe."

* * *

Aiden and Gray were about in the middle of the group as the Screaming Eagles walked over to the challenger area, as they were having a casual conversation. "So… why do you call yourself Gray…" he asked. "I mean… it's not like that's your birth name? Right?"

"Hah, it's not as interesting as you might think!" she replied. "It's just my favorite color, my dude."

"I-Is that why you wear all grey?"

"You betcha!" she said happily. "Sooooo do you think you'll win?"

"I may be small, but I've got bite! I'm totally gonna win!"

"Haha, see I have a plan!" she continued. "Nobody expects the eccentric excitable girl to be a mastermind… but frankly, I'm a genius. Between you and me… I'm the one who got rid of Cici."

"I thought it was Sarah's plan…"

"No, my friendo… that's where you're wrong," she denied. "I saved Sarah's butt… had I not said anything, it might've been here going home."

"I'm confused…" Aiden said weakly. "I'm just gonna do whatever you guys tell me to."

* * *

 **Confessional**

 **Gray:** "My ideal finale is me going up against Aiden, with Sarah being taken out in the final three. It sounds like a pretty easy win for me, honestly. It's rather boring, I think."

* * *

The two teams sat on tree stumps lined up in a row, with each team facing the other. Ayane, Rei, Sarah, Gray, Oregon, Wyvern, Tyrenee, Isaac, Aiden, and Antony on the Eagles, and Paul, Ryan, Van, Kiara, Seth, Morrigan, Andrew, Diana, Mili, Seamus, and Vi sitting on the Bears. Chris McLean and Chef Hatchet stood off to the side of them with a television screen prepared for the challenge. "Listen up, because this is an _easy_ one. I'm gonna pull this lever," he said as he directs to a handle on the television, "and it's gonna randomly select one of you guys. You'll either have to do a truth… or a dare!"

"Do you get a choice?" Diana asked.

"Nope, your challenge will be randomly selected as well."

"Wasn't this challenge in the original Pahkitew Island?" Gray observed. "Boooo! You're reusing challenges!"

"It makes a good way for you to get to know each other… _and_ for me to spill all of your dirty little secrets," Chris defended. "Plus, it's not an _exact_ copy. If you either lie or refuse your dare, a member of the other team can still by either guessing what the truth is or performing the dare meant for you."

"And how are you going to determine what the truth it?" Sarah asked. "I see no lie detectors."

"I don't need one," Chris asked. "Because I'll be asking questions I already know the answer to. Any other questions?"

"Uh… will there be any… punishment for lying?" Kiara asked.

"Only that your team will _not_ gain a point from you. And then they might hate you. And then vote you off," Chris answered. "No electrocutions this time. If that's it, let's begin the challenge. First team to six points wins. We'll start with the Killer Bears!"

Chris pulled a lever and images of all the team members flashed on the screen, and eventually landed on Seamus. A second image appeared beside his, and landed and an image of a flame. "Seamus, you'll start the challenge by doing a dare!"

"I'll do anything for the team!"

"Well then, I hope you like cheese!" Chris said menacingly. "Because of got some real _nasty_ stuff for you!"

Chef Hatchet held a slice cheese covered in mold. "Eat up."

Seamus gave the cheese an odd look and stood up out of his stump. He took the slice of cheese and looked at it suspiciously. "A-Anything for the team!" he repeated. He quickly took the slice of cheese and put it in his mouth. He reluctantly swallowed, then looked nauseous.

"There's an outhouse over there," Chris said, directing behind him.

* * *

 **Confessional**

 **Seamus:** He leans over the toilet, vomiting.

 **Isaac:** "That's not so bad. I've eaten more spoiled food than I can count on one hand."

* * *

"Killer Bears are already ahead by one point – Screaming Eagles, you're up!" Chris said as he pulled the lever once again. It landed on Rei, followed by an image of a halo. "Rei, you're gonna have to tell the _truth!"_

Rei gave a smirk. "I revealed nothing embarrassing about myself in neither my application nor my audition tape. You have nothing on me," she said confidently.

"Oh, really… because I've heard that there's a book out there written by Rei Gordons… Isn't that your name? I like to think it's a pretty rare name. What, pray tell, would be the name of that book?"

"…Pass."

"You're not gonna say it?" Chris asked. "Would a member of the other team like to take a guess, then?"

Vi raised her hand. "Fortunately, I have read a book by the author of that name. As I recall, it was a romance novel by the name of _Love Life: The Story of the Unicorn and the Nerd._ It was not a particularly exciting read – it was rather dry, but grammar and spelling were perfect. It is not something to be embarrassed about, however."

"Shut up!" Rei hissed.

"That's correct!" Chris announced. "That's already _two_ points for the Bears!"

Sarah glanced toward Rei. "Good job," she said sarcastically.

"Killer Bears, here's another shot at a point. Andrew, you're up with another truth," Chris said. "Why would someone as _rich_ as you sign up for Total Drama?"

"Ah, that's rather…"

"Come on, fancy pants. Out with it," the host coaxed.

"Right..." Andrew relented. "The family made a series of bad investments, and now we're broke. Playing Total Drama is… part of the plan to make our money back. It's not much, but it'll help."

"Correct answer!" Chris confirmed. "We're three on zero. What's the deal, Eagles? Pick it up! Gray, you're up next with a dare!"

"Hah, I can do _anything!"_

"Can you do anything while blindfolded though?" he asked. "Because what we're going to do is hand you a mystery drink. You have to identify what exactly it is while blindfolded. Your team will not be allowed to help. If you guess wrong, your team does _not_ get a point but the enemy team won't get a chance to steal. Do you accept?"

"Duh, yeah!" she agreed. She stood up and got a blindfold put on by Chef Hatchet, then got handed a drink it what she believed to be a smoothie glass. She took a sip, and violently recoiled. "What the heck is this?"

"Is that an admission of defeat?"

"Grrrr…" Regrettably to herself, she took another sip and started to look rather green. "I've… never tasted anything like this. It's like a smoothie but… it tastes like rotting meat. Is this that stuff from that other season?"

"Stuff from the other season?" he asked. "Name it for the point."

"God… is this Juggy Chunks?"

"That would be correct!" Chris said finally. Gray took her blindfold off and threw it on the ground. "Screaming Eagles finally get a point."

"I think I need to brush my teeth," Gray admitted queasily. "Or get my stomach pumped."

"Hey Chris!" Sarah taunted. "Got any _other_ dares besides disgusting food, or is that all your stale mind can come up with?"

"Don't tempt me,' he responded flatly.

* * *

 **Confessional**

 **Gray:** She's moving her head slowly and looks like she's about to be sick. "Is there nothing not done to the fauna of the cake mother slowly?" she says nonsensically.

* * *

"Let's spin the wheel again!" Chris said cheerfully. He pulled the lever again, this time the screen landing on Kiara and a truth. "Ah, Miss Kiara!" he announced. "This is an easy one for you, I bet. Just tell us your last name."

"Ah… I-It's too embarrassing," she squeaked.

"Embarrassing, eh?" Chris asked. "Does that mean you're gonna pass?"

The eyes of the rest of the team were on her. "Wait! No! I-It's Finbirb," she said quickly. "Yeah, Finbirb."

"Yeah, that's an obvious lie if I've ever saw one," Chris decided. Mili noticed something about Kiara and narrowed her eyes. "Eagles," the host continued. "Got any ideas?"

"Dinosaur?" Gray asked, just to throw something out there. "Kiara Dinosaur?"

"Not even close," Chris answered. "Looks like your secret's safe, Kiara," he said. She took a sigh of relief. "Eagles, your turn again. Sarah, looks like you've got to do another truth. What past contestant are your related to and how?"

Sarah visibly flinched. "I was told that wouldn't be brought up in game."

"Sorry, I lied," he said. "Surely there's nothing to worry about, though. Who you're related to doesn't shed any light onto _your_ character… does it?" he asked knowingly.

"Damn you, Chris," she grumbled. "It's not really that important, just let it go."

"I'll let it go!" he said with a smirk. "But you'll have to forfeit your chance of getting your team another point. And I'm sure Rei won't be happy with you, considering you got on to her for not sharing _her_ secret."

She sighed. "It's Scarlett. Scarlett is my cousin."

"And there we have it!" the host announced. "Truth. We're at two to three, Eagles are catching back up! I have a massage waiting, soooo, I'm gonna put a break in the challenger right here. I'll be back… talk to each other or whatever until I get back. Chef'll be your supervisor."

The man gave the teens a menacing look and a wicked grin. "I'll take care of them."

* * *

 **Confessional**

 **Sarah:** "Damn it, I didn't want that information to get out. The anger issues that I already have haven't made me look very good in the wake of Scarlett's… meltdown during Pahkitew Island. People have started treating _me_ like I'm a ticking time bomb as well, and the news never let up trying to get interviews as to how she was like before the whole disaster."

 **Kiara:** "I-I can't tell them my last name, it would doom my whole game. I can't let them know _who_ I am."

* * *

"So, you're Scarlett's cousin, huh?" Gray asked. "Does the anger… run in the family?"

Sarah gave a slight frown. "See, this is why I didn't want to tell anyone. Now I'm never gonna hear the end of it, am I?"

"I'll never let you live it down," the blonde said calmly. "Don't worry, there's plenty of differences between you two. For example, you don't even _try_ to hide the fact that you hate everyone."

"I don't hate everyone," Sarah argued. "Don't you have anything better to do? Like vomit up Juggy Chunks?"

"Nah, I can hold it," Gray said. "I've got an iron stomach."

"Of course you do," Sarah exasperated.

"The initial flavor is awful, but it's got this really sweet aftertaste if we're being honest," Gray admitted.

"No. No more detail. Please," she pleaded.

Gray ignored her. "I think my bowels are running smoother than ever."

"That's nice."

Chef walked up behind the two of them as they were talking. "Do I hear yapping?" he snapped. "I remember _asking_ for people to run their mouths."

"No sir," Sarah denied.

"Hmph," he huffed. "I didn't think so."

* * *

Mili pulled Kiara aside during the break. "Um… hi… no hablo mucho inglés, but tu es Kiara?"Mi

"Uh… m-my name is Kiara? What of it?"

"Cual es tu apellido?"

"L-Like I said, I d-don't really wanna talk about it… just leave me alone."

Mili gave the girl a slight frown. "I… thought – thought tu dijiste no hablas español?"

Kiara visibly recoiled. "No… well… I know bits and pieces. Enough to understand what you're saying, sometimes."

"I think… tu apellido es Castiel."

Kiara quickly started to turn and leave. "No… I-I don't understand what you're saying anymore."

"Tu es Castiel! Tu es Castiel!"

"No, I'm really sorry. I don't understand!" Kiara ran off onto the other side of the stumps and sat at the end beside Vi, but Mili followed her. Her moving seats attracted the attention of Chef Hatchet.

"Can I ask what the heck is going on here? Did I give anyone permission to move."

"Sh-She's harassing me!" Kiara lied.

"Mili..." Chef frowned. "Go sit down."

"But!"

"GO SIT YOUR BUTT DOWN NOW!" he shouted threateningly. Mili was forced to leave, dejected. Kiara thanked Chef as she left.

* * *

 **Confessional**

 **Mili** : "Yo sé… Kiara. She is a Castiel… her family, they run my country. They own everything, and Kiara… to be their hija… she does not care about people like me – the small people."

 **Kiara:** "No… nonononono… she can't tell them… no, she can't tell them. I have to get rid of her, I have to lose the challenge so I can get rid of her before she says anything." She takes a deep breath. "Okay, relax Kiara… I just need to convince Van to get rid of her. That's all. Shit… shit shit shit shit shit. I won't let her ruin my game… I can't lose to someone poor like her."

* * *

"It's good to be back, guys," Chris said as he arrived back on scene. "Let's start the second half of the challenge – Killer Bears, you guys are up! Chris started the roll, and this time it landed on Paul. "Looks like you'll be doing a dare, Paul," Chris said as the image landed on a flame. "What will your dare be..."

"I can't begin to imagine," Paul said dryly. "Whatever it is, I'll pass."

"You haven't even heard it yet, man. Your dare is to drive a nail through your own hand!" Chris said with a smile. "Sound fun."

"Brilliant," he said sarcastically. "But I still pass."

"A nail through the hand?" Diana asked. "That's a little far, even for you."

"Probably… but a member of the Eagles still gets to steal the dare if they want to. Any takers?" Chris offered. Nobody raised their hand. "Now it's back to the Screaming Eagles. Oregon, you've got a truth."

"An adventurer like me has nothing to hide!" he announced.

"And _as_ an adventurer, what's the weirdest place you've ever been?" the host asked him.

"Oh, that's easy. I got captured by a cult once – I survived, naturally, but it was fun times," he answered. He turned to his team. "It was a wild story, I'll tell the whole thing when we get back to camp."

"Truth!" Chris confirmed. "That's another point for the Eagles – it's all tied up."

"Wait, what the fuck?" Van hissed angrily. "That was the easiest truth I've ever heard. Why are _we_ getting all the hard shit?"

"It rolled truth and I didn't really have any good dirt on Oregon… but thanks for volunteering to be the next truth, Van."

"Wait, no. I didn't volunteer shit!" Van refused.

"Your truth is to explain, in detail, your opinion of your fellow team!" Chris decided.

"Oh, thank fuck it's easy. I think they're all worthless trash and I hope they all die in a garbage fire while elephants play the trombone with their corpses."

"Graphic… but correct."

"You can't read his mind!" Sarah accused. "How the hell can you know that's the truth?"

"You didn't get to sit through _his_ audition tape," the host answered. "I genuinely feared for my life. That makes him great ratings material, though."

"…Acceptable," Sarah admitted.

* * *

 **Confessional**

 **Van:** "At least Chris knows who the star of this shit show is."

* * *

"Ayane, it's on to you with another truth," Chris said. "Who on your team do you dislike most!"

"Wait, wait, wait – you most certainly _can't_ know the answer to _that_ ," Sarah against said forcefully.

"Ah… I-I can't answer that question… that's really mean," Ayane frowned.

" _Hahaha_ , sometimes I don't _need_ to know the answer to the questions," Chris answered. "Unless someone on the Bears can guess it, which I know they can't, nobody gets a point this round."

"I guess Sarah," Diana asked. "She's been the most vocally negative on the team."

"That actually might be the right answer…" the host admitted. "Okay Ayane, is that the truth."

"Of course it's not!" Ayane denied.

Van crossed his arms. "She's obviously lying so we don't get a point."

"Didn't have any dirt on Ayane, either, did you?" Paul said with a smirk.

"Okay, okay!" Chris said, throwing his arms in the air. "I'll throw out the question. Ayane, you get a dare instead." Chris pulled some sort of hat from behind them. "If you accept the dare, you have to wear this _dunce_ cap for the rest of this challenge!"

"Oh…" she said dejectedly.

"That's not that bad," Sarah told her. "Nobody here's going to judge you for it – and we need the point to tie it up. Just wear the hat."

"I-I'll do it." Ayane stood up off her stump and gently took the hat out of McLean's hands, putting it on. "I-It's not that bad," she said to herself.

"Hey, the hat actually matches your intelligence," Rei mocked. Sarah elbowed her in the side, and Rei gritted her teeth.

* * *

 **Confessional**

 **Sarah:** "Things like that give me all the more reason to get rid of Rei over Ayane. At least _she_ did her part of the challenge… and she did say I wasn't her least favorite teammate too. That spot probably goes to Rei… though I might be the close second."

 **Ayane:** "Th-This is so embarrassing."

* * *

"Next up is Seth going for the Killer Bear's fifth point," Chris announced. "He'll be doing a truth."

"Can we talk about the fact that the ratio between truths and dares has been widely disproportionate?" Sarah asked. "There's only been three dares so far!"

"Four," Chris corrected. "Ayane, Paul, Gray, and Seamus have all gotten dares. Ayane, Seth, Van, you, and Kiara have gotten truths. That's just four dares to five truths," he said. "That's perfectly reasonable. If you're gonna continue to try to pick apart the challenge, I'm gonna throw you out."

"Fine, fine," she admitted. "You're right."

"Seth, your truth is to tell everyone where you were last night!" Chris decided. "Care to tell everyone? Remember, I've got cameras, so I know."

"I-I can't say… especially with the other team here. My team will understand," Seth refused.

"Well, Eagles, do you know the answer?"

"That's easy, he was looking for the idol," Sarah answered.

"Close… but wrong nonetheless. No points for anyone."

* * *

 **Confessional**

 **Andrew:** "As if I needed another reason to distrust Seth – the fact that he was out late last night doing _something_ and it wasn't idol hunting is foreboding. I can only hope that he isn't trying to pull a Scarlett and blow up the island.

* * *

"It's back to the Eagles once again!" Chris pulled the lever on the screen this time landing on Tyrenee followed by an image of a flame. "Looks like it's Tyrenee with another dare!"

"I don't know how I feel about that… these last few dares have been pretty awful."

"Let's give you an easy one, then," he decided. "How about you… agree to take ten percent off of the million dollars in the event you win."

"That's a really cruel one…" she said. She gave a slight sigh. "It's just ten percent though. I'll do it for the team if it improves my own chances."

"Okay, then. If Ayane wins Total Drama: Nightmare at Pahkitew Island, ten percent of her winning will be donated to a charity of my choice."

"Which basically means you're gonna keep it for yourself," Tyrenee noted.

"Exactomundo."

"That question was just a way for you to get some money in your wallet!"

"Maybe it was… maybe it wasn't. BUT the Screaming Eagles are in the lead with five points, putting them one win away from immunity. Bears, looks like the tables might be turning. Ryan, you get the next dare. You have to bathe in an ice cold tub for one minute."

"That sounds like an excellent way to die of hypothermia. You expect me to risk death on my gorgeous body?"

"Do it or you're dead," Van threatened.

"I must admit… I cannot do it," Ryan said. "I must pass on this challenge."

"Eagles," Chris began, "if any of you think you can take the ice water bath for one minute, you win the challenge. Will one of you do it?"

Gray raised her hand. "I can do it."

"Chef, fill the tub." Chef Hatched brought in a bath tub filled with water, and dumped a bag of ice into it. "Give it a minute to get nice and _cold._ "

"Can I take my clothes off?" Gray asked.

"No. Please don't!" shouted Chris. "We've got children watching, we've already had to censor enough."

* * *

After a few minutes passed, Chris determined that the bathtub was cold enough. "Ready for your… _frosty_ morning."

"That was awful," Gray said. "Let's just get this over with. For the win!" Gray jumped into the tub with a splash, and laid down.

"Remember, you have to stay in there for a full minute. Anything less and you don't get the point."

"This isn't so bad."

"Duh, yeah it's not that bad," Isaac said. "This is how I take baths every winter, _heheheeeeeh_!" Isaac paused for a moment. "I'm joking, by the way. There's a bathtub inside the trailer."

"Forty seconds, Gray," Chris said.

"It's _really_ cold," she shivered. "Brrrr… I can't wait to sit by a fire."

"Come now, the only fire you'll be seeing is the one at the bonfire ceremony," Ryan chimed in.

"Sorely missed opportunity to make a joke about the fires of hell there, dude," Paul said. "I'm disappointed."

"Thirty seconds…"

"Okay… just a little longer," she said to herself.

"Come on, Gray," said Sarah. "Don't lose this for us."

"I'm not planning on losing to some measly cold!" Gray chanted.

"Ten!" Chris began counting down. The Eagles also began to count down with him after he began. "Nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one… the Screaming Eagles win the second challenge!"

"Damn it!" Van shouted.

* * *

 **Confessional**

 **Gray:** "I need a blanket, stat!"

 **Kiara:** "Now all I need to do is get Van to vote off Mili… before she manages to tell everyone who I am."

* * *

"Killer Bears, here's your first loss – meet me at the elimination area tonight where one of the eleven of you losers will become ten, tying the teams back up at ten all," Chris said as everyone was leaving. "You have a few hours until the elimination ceremony – it will be by the time the sun sets."

* * *

"H-Hey, Van," Kiara greeted as they walked back to their camp site. "I was just wondering… you know, since we lost, who were you thinking of voting off?"

"Hmmm, I was thinking of getting rid of Vi… I think she's pretty useless, really. So is everyone else, though."

"That sounds okay, I gues…"

"Of course it's a good idea, I came up with it," he said.

"Although… it's such a shame we can't get rid of Mili… I mean, she hardly speaks any English. It's probably not easy for her to work together with us."

Van held his chin in thought. "Perhaps we _can_ get a vote off on her."

"We can?" she said with a smile. "How would we do it though? It's only me, you, Seth, and Morrigan… we need two more votes to have a majority."

"We don't need a majority. Everyone else's vote will be too scattered to stop us."

"I don't think that's -"

"Are you questioning me?" Van demanded.

"No… s-sorry."

"Good," he said gruffly. "Look, I'm gonna tell Seth and Morrigan about the plan. Don't worry about a thing, darling. I've got everything under control.

* * *

 **Confessional**

 **Kiara:** "Somehow, that doesn't make me feel much better," she admits to the camera. "I-If I want to guarantee that Mili will be eliminated, I need to make sure that I have the votes myself. I don't have much of a choice in this, I need to do this if I want any chance of winning. I need to do this… I need to."

* * *

The camera cut to the Screaming Eagles walking back to their camp, and in front of the pack was Gray carrying Aiden on her shoulders. Sarah congratulated Gray on the way, "Hey, you didn't let us down. I knew you had it in you."

"Yeah, I'm basically amazing," she agreed. "But really, I want to throw myself in a fire right now. I'm _really_ cold."

"I bet," Sarah replied.

"Sooo… how about you being related to Scarlett, then? What was that like?"

"It wasn't really 'like' anything, it was pretty normal. Me and Scarlett were never particularly close – she was certainly present during family gatherings, but I hardly ever spoke to her. I always go the feeling she didn't want to be there. Neither did I, to be fair. Anyway, everything was normal until she snapped on global television – the news came flooding to my house, and harassed us about what it was like for a week. And _then_ it got out that I was in anger management, then everything went to heck."

"That sucks," Gray said genuinely. "I got it pretty easy. Upper middle class, good parents, friends. My life is pretty normal, surprising as it may sound."

"I refuse to believe anything about you is normal."

"At least I don't have to vote for anyone today," Aiden said happily.

"Why are you carrying him on your shoulders?" Sarah asked. "It's a little weird, you hardly know him."

"He's light and it's fun," she shrugged.

"Right… you can't possibly tell me that everything in your life is normal," she said.

Gray belched. "Why's that?"

"Just… never mind," she said out of resignation. "So what's your story, Aiden? Surely there's a reason someone as weak as you would sign up to Total Drama. You must be desperate."

"Well… my family _doesn't_ have much money, so I thought I would play Total Drama to help them out," he said with determination. "They didn't believe I could do it, but they encouraged me anyway. I know I can win, I believe in myself."

"Alright," she said.

* * *

 **Confessional**

 **Aiden:** "I love not having to walk everywhere – I-It's a little weird that Gray does that for me, but I don't mind!"

* * *

After the Killer Bears got back to their camp, Mili and Ryan were sitting inside the shelter. "Your name Ryan, yes?"

"That would be so… if you're trying to come on to me, I must say I'm not interested. I'm leaving my options open for now," Ryan said confidently. "So many ladies must be sad because of this."

"Uh… no entiendo," Mili said out of confusion. "Uh… do you know Kiara?"

"Cute girl afraid of her own shadow?" he asked. "Yeah, I know her."

"Bad. Very bad."

"Come on, don't pull my leg. Her?" he asked out of surprise. "No way."

"She lie. Su apellido es Castiel."

"Come again?" Ryan asked. "I do not speak the Spanish."

"Kiara… Su apellido… Castiel."

"Apellido? Castiel?" He chuckled. "I literally don't know what those words mean. I'm sorry."

Mili clenched her fists. "I will find one who listen!"

* * *

After Mili was gone, Kiara went inside the shelter with Ryan, making sure Mili didn't see her go inside. "Ryan…" she said. "D-Did Mili say anything to you?"

"Nothing I understood," he said. "Was it important?"

"No… someone told me she was saying things about me behind my back," she said. "I don't understand what she's t-trying to say, but I don't think it's good. I-I'm afraid she's trying to vote me out."

"I don't know, why would she do that?"

"I don't know… I heard her say 'apellido' to you… I heard that's a really big swear or like… insult in Spanish. I-It makes me uncomfortable… would you please help me?" she asked. "I-It's not a big loss, anyway. I-It isn't like she can help much since nobody can understand her, r-right?"

"This is true…"

"Please… j-just vote for her when the time comes, okay?"

"I will consider it."

* * *

 **Confessional**

 **Ryan:** "The thought of someone being bullied on this team… I can't abide by Mili pushing people around, even if nobody can understand what she's saying."

 **Kiara:** "It's not that I want to lie, really! I wasn't left with a choice – if word got out that I'm the daughter of a family who runs a proper _dictatorship_ , any shot I have is gone. I've got one person one my side, I think… I just need to find one more. I just need to find one person gullible enough to believe me… or _pragmatic_ enough not to vote out Van."

* * *

The entirety of the Screaming Eagles sat around a fire set at their camp, with Oregon sitting on a log put in front of the fire. Gray was covered in a makeshift vine blanket. "Alright," he began, "let me tell you guys about the time that I got captured by a cult."

"This is gonna be good," said Tyrenee. "Wish I had popcorn."

"Right, so I heard about this ruin that must have belonged to a long lost fallen civilization up in the Yukon and I wanted to explore it. I heard it was pretty advanced, and it's been a mystery for years. It must be at least over a millennium old."

"That sounds fishy already," Sarah said skeptically. "I've never heard of any ruins that old up there. Also, a millennium isn't that old if we're talking ancient civilizations."

"Let me finish – I never did find anything up there, not any ruins at least."

"I wonder why," Sarah said.

"But I _did_ get captured by this cult – they dressed like Buddhist monks and they wanted to sacrifice me for my own good. Can you believe it?"

"You're not a very good storyteller, are you?" Tyrenee asked.

"I've actually heard of a cult up there – Edwin's Thanatology. They believe in a goddess of nature that will grant _anyone_ who dies eternal life and happiness. They've taken it upon themselves to 'save' as many people as possible."

"And the police haven't done anything?" Rei asked. "Incompetents."

"Nobody can find them," answered Sarah.

"I-Is that true?" asked Aiden.

"I could take 'em," Antony boasted.

"So, I'm being held alone in a cell," Oregon continued. "I really thought I was gonna die – that they were gonna kill me. But I befriended this younger member of the cult – he was about as old as I was at the time. I managed to convince him to let me free. During my scheduled execution, I was blindfolded and taken… I don't know where. I was blindfolded. Anyway, the dude did something and had me dumped off in some remote part of the woods by smuggling me out right during their creepy festival."

"Awful story," Tyrenee mocked. "Dreadful. But I'm sorry you went through that."

"Nah, don't be sorry," replied Oregon. "That sort of thing looks good on an adventurer by me. Everyone one gets captured by native at some point. I just didn't expect to be captured by native _Canadians."_

"Good timing at the end, though," Tyrenee said. "You finished right as I ran out of metaphorical popcorn."

* * *

 **Confessional**

 **Oregon:** "Scary stuff – and that's just _one_ of my many death-defying adventures. I don't mind this sort of thing, I live for the thrill of it. That's why I signed up to Total Drama – what's scarier than greedy people, haha!" he jokes.

* * *

Andrew was eating berries out of a team bowl when Kiara came up. "A-Andrew… can I talk to you for a second?" she asked. "I-It's important."

"I'm open," he said.

"Are you planning on voting out Van tonight… or…?"

"I was considering it – if I didn't, though, who were you going to suggest I vote in his stead?"

"Mili," she told him.

Andrew threw one of the berries into his mouth and smirked. "Do you have any argument as to why?" he asked. "I need to know if this is just a ploy to ensure Van's survival."

"It's not," she asserted. "I've said it before, but Mili hardly speaks any English. It's really hard to communicate with her, and I don't w-want to lose like we did this time. Is that good enough?"

"Fair, there might just be a strategist in you," Andrew complimented. "Is that all?"

"Actually, there is one more thing… do you know of any alliances on this team yet?"

"The only thing I know of is that you and Van have been suspiciously close."

"But you're not in an alliance yourself, right?" Kiara said for confirmation.

"No. Not yet."

"Okay… because I wanted to know… if things were to fall through for me and Van, I wouldn't mind keeping you around as a backup alliance if you'd be willing. I-I think I can control Van, so you'd be safe if you agreed."

"I'm not planning on committing to any alliance quite yet," Andrew frowned.

"You don't have to commit to anything… just consider voting with me this once and make sure that Van knows _nothing_ about this."

"I'll consider it."

"That's… good enough," Kiara relented. "Thanks."

* * *

 **Confessional**

 **Kiara:** "I think I've done everything I can. Andrew and Ryan might be voting with me so… there's a good chance I'm getting rid of Mili. I don't think she managed to tell anyone I'm a Castiel, so… I think I'm okay." She takes a deep breath, and repeats, "I'm okay."

 **Andrew:** "Will I vote for Mili or Van? I have a first decision to make. Both options have advantages and drawbacks, but theoretically, I _should_ be safer voting for Mili. Kiara says she'll guarantee my safety if I do."

* * *

Van began to talk to Seth and Morrigan by pulling them aside in the woods at the outskirts of their camp as sundown started to get closer. "Listen you, guys. I need to make sure you idiots won't' screw this up!" he demanded. "We're going to vote out _Mili_ tonight. I don't want to hear any arguments about it, because I've already made up my mind."

"Alright with me," Seth said with a salute. "Can do, sir!"

"Don't suck up to me, Seth," Van spat. "And you Morrigan? Will you follow through on the vote?"

"Mhm!" she nodded. "I don't understand why, but it sounds like a good idea, _huhuhuhuh_!"

"Do you know how the fair lady Kiara is doing?" Seth asked. "She hasn't talked to me in a while…"

"And why do you care?" Van questioned.

"Oh… you know…" he said longingly. "No reason."

Van gave him a slight chuckle. "Yeah, I believe that. Listen to me, kid. You don't got a chance. You're too weak – girls dig guys like me, understand? They like 'em confident, not weak and pudgy," Van mocked as he prodded Seth's belly bulge, who looked down and blushed out of shame.

"I-I'm sorry," he said weakly.

"Hmph," Van huffed. "The sooner you accept that nobody cares about you, the better."

"Yeah… I'm really sorry…"

* * *

 **Confessional**

 **Van:** "Seth is like a little lost puppy, he just needs some guidance to get where he needs to go. Girls like Kiara aren't suitable to be dated anyway, she's not sexy enough. I gotta drive him away from her for his own good. Hey, I'm just looking out for the little people, _ahahahah_!"

 **Seth:** "Van is really mean… can't I get Kiara to get in an alliance with me _without_ that… malware tagging along, too? Maybe there's a way to get her to ditch him? Wait… do you think maybe Kiki's falling for Van? What if I'm too late!"

* * *

By nightfall, the Killer Bears met at the elimination area to start their voting, each on of them sitting on a tree stump, with Chris at his usual spot prepared to toss marshmallows while Chef Hatchet stood beside of him, staring at the team. "Well, here you guys are," Chris began. "Your first loss and the second elimination ceremony. How does it feel to have a potential win streak thrown down the drain?"

"Get on with it, McLean," Diana said. "I've been waiting for this," she said toward Van.

"Yeah, this elimination is pretty obvious," Paul said boredly. "Nobody likes Van."

"There are some that cannot be trusted," Mili said toward Kiara. "I will vote for the liar."

"Kiara?" Diana asked. "She's not a liar, she's just hanging with the wrong crowd. Van's the ringleader we need to get rid of."

"El apellido de ella es Castiel," Mili tried to tell them. "No trust."

"I'm _really_ sorry," Diana apologized. "But I can't understand what you're saying. Please Mili, vote for Van. Not Kiara."

"Es malvado. Malvado."

"What an inspiring team," Chris complimented. "You guys remind me of the Eagles first elimination ceremony. So much juicy drama to get through… but we don't have time for more. Let's get on to the voting."

* * *

 **Confessional**

 **Diana:** "Castiel? I think I've heard that word before, but I can't remember what it means. I don't think it's real important anyway, though. Why Mili has latched onto Kiara is anyone's guess."

* * *

"Alright," Chris began as everyone returned from the confessionals to vote. "Let's start handing out marshmallows. With no votes against her, the first vote goes to… Vi."

"I honestly did not expect not to receive votes," she stated. "Intriguing."

"Seth and Ryan are also safe," the host continued. He tossed the two of them their marshmallows. Ryan caught his effortlessly, while Seth fumbled to catch his.

"Heck yeah!" Seth announced. "Victory tastes delicious!"

"Obviously, everyone saw my beautiful body as something worth keeping on the team," boasted Ryan. "It's only natural."

Seamus was the next person to receive a marshmallow. "Looks like this team supports strong work ethic!" he shouted. "We're gonna dominate this game!"

"Diana and Andrew also received no votes against them," said Chris. "They are also safe."

"Honestly, I'd be surprised if I received _any_ votes tonight," Andrew said confidently.

"Same," Diana agreed.

"Morrigan… against all odds is safe as well," Chris said tossing the girl's marshmallow over to her. She gave her usual laugh. "And finally, Paul."

"Cool," he said simply as he caught his marshmallow.

"Van, Mili, and Kiara. Each of the three of you _all_ got at least one vote cast against you. Feel free to be afraid, because one of you is getting eliminated _right now!"_

"Please don't be me," Kiara said herself.

Mili gave Kiara a dirty look and narrowed her eyes.

"It won't be me," Van said confidently. "They don't have the guts to get rid of me, they're all a bunch of spineless babies, _haha!_ "

"With only one vote cast against her… Kiara is safe!" She breathed a sigh of relief and caught her marshmallow. "Mili and Van… this is the final marshmallow of the evening."

"It's going to _me_ of course," Van said with a smirk.

"This cannot be… mi familia… they need me to win the money!"

"Whoever does not get the marshmallow will be eliminated from Total Drama Nightmare at Pahkitew Island… and you won't be able to come back. _Ever_."

"What a lie," Paul quipped.

"Just give me the marshmallow already," Van said forcefully. "We all know I'm not going home yet. They need me."

"The final marshmallow of the night goes to… Van!" Chris announced. "Mili, with six votes cast against you, you're out of the game."

"No… Kiara! Mi Familia! This cannot be!"

"Chef?" Chris requested. "Care to escort Mili to the Boat of Losers, please?"

Chef Hatched obliged and began to carry the girl over the shoulder to the Boat of Losers as the continued to shout Kiara's name and various profanities in Spanish. "I will come back!" she threatened. "I will return to take down the liar!"

* * *

 **Confessional – Voting**

 **Kiara:** "I'm not really all that sorry, Mili. You brought this on yourself, people like you need to learn their place in life. That's all I can say."

 **Andrew:** "I believe the better option for me is voting for Mili and waiting on the alliance Kiara offered. Time will tell if this works out for me.

 **Van:** "Voting for Mili over Vi… doesn't matter which stupid little girl goes home to me – I always win in the end."

 **Diana:** "Please, Kiara. Wake up. Van is no good for you, you have to know that. Don't let such a negative influence stay around on this island.

 **Paul:** "Yeah, I vote for Van. He's such a raging edgelord, he needs to go as soon as possible. God, this island is terrible."

* * *

"What a terrible ending!" Chris announced as he began the closing statements. "It looks like Kiara is making plays to cement her place in the game, not bad for someone as small as her. Next time, it'll be a chilling battle as the cast goes through a massive maze filled with traps and mayhem! Will anyone survive that ordeal? Will anyone get wise to Kiara's tricks? Will Sarah end up killing us all like her cousin? Find out next time on Total! Drama! Nightmare at Pahkitew Island!"

* * *

As Mili sat alone on the Boat of Losers on the way to the Playa. "Lo siento… my family. I have failed you. I have failed to avenge you for the misdeeds done by the Castiels. I am failure," she lamented. "But I will come back. No matter what, I must come back."

* * *

 _AN: Well, this is certainly quite a bit different than the original version of Nightmare at Pahkitew Island. Give me a second to talk about the original version, if you will. For those of you who know about the original Mili, her concept remained much the same but as of this version her English was not as perfect as it was in the original. Back then, her original placement was going to be up in the merge, but I decided to put her conflict with Kiara way back here and that removed the need to keep her around, allowing me to put in a language barrier with her as well since I wouldn't have to put up with something like that for as long._

* * *

 **Screaming Eagles**

Sarah: The StratBot

Ayane: The Shy Girl

Aiden: The Weakling

Wyvern: The Tourist

 _Cecilia: The Child Prodigy [22_ _nd_ _]_

Gray: The Nutcase

Rei: The Aggressive Genius

Tyrenee: The Loner

Isaac: The Trailer King

Antony: The Self-Glorious

Oregon: The Adventurer

 **Killer Bears**

Vi: The Stoic

Van: The Cutthroat

Diana: The Country Girl

Seth: The Hacker

 _Mili: The Desperate Foreigner [21_ _st_ _]_

Ryan: The Vanity Magnet

Paul: The Sarcastic One

Kiara: The Socially Anxious

Morrigan: The Creepy Girl

Andrew: The Rich Heir

Seamus: The Student Athlete


	4. Episode 4 - Maze of the Lost

_AN: Well, here's the fourth episode of Nightmare at Pahkitew Island. We're back on schedule here, so enjoy the episode and leave a review with your opinion and/or what you think will happen._

 **Screaming Eagles:** Isaac, Sarah, Gray, Wyvern, Ayane, Tyrenee, Antony, Rei, Oregon, Aiden.

 **Killer Bears:** Morrigan, Vi, Andrew, Van, Kiara, Seth, Diana, Seamus, Ryan, Paul.

* * *

Chris McLean stood at the elimination area to do the introduction to the episode. "Last time, on Total Drama, the two teams faced off in a drama-filled version of truth or dare, where whether they had to do a _brutal_ dare or reveal an embarrassing truth was not a choice, but a decision forced upon them by moi. During the challenge, we discovered relationships to previous contestants," Chris said as an image of Sarah revealing her relation to Scarlett showed. "We learned just how much _Kiara_ is hiding, and we learned that the rich Andrew… is not so rich anymore. However, it was all for nothing as the Killer Bears lost the challenge."

"Like the Screaming Eagles, the elimination for the Killer Bears became a bit of a drama fest! Mili had found out that Kiara was the daughter of a rich family known as the Castiels, responsible for giving a little-known country in South America called The Republic States a massively corrupt government bent on the exploitation of the working class, where the Castiels through their financial control left the country in a sort of pseudo-dictatorship. Unfortunately, because of a language barrier, Mili was unable to communicate this, and left herself to be eliminated."

"But things are not going so well for the Screaming Eagles, either – through the game of truth or dare, it was revealed that Sarah is indeed a cousin to past contestant Scarlett, notable for being for being Total Drama's first attempted mass murderer. Might she snap the same way? Who knows! Things are heating up, so tune in for another action-packed episode of Total! Drama! Nightmare at Pahkitew Island!"

* * *

(Opening Theme)

* * *

On the way back to camp, Diana pulled Kiara by the sleeve to stop her.

"O-Oh… Diana, what do you want?" Kiara asked unsteadily.

"We need to talk," Diana said. "What happened? I thought for sure Van would be getting eliminated, but… that fell through. I–I don't understand why anyone would consciously choose to keep someone like that in the game."

"Ah… i-it wasn't my fault, it was Van's idea," Kiara defended.

"I'm not saying it was… I'm just… I'm just looking for your help. You _heard_ what he thinks about us during the elimination ceremony. Please, for all of our sake, help me get rid of him."

"I don't know if…"

"Come on, there can't be any possible reason to want to let him stay in the game," Diana reasoned. "Everyone knows he's closest to you, so if you turn on him he wouldn't stand a chance."

"Uh… w-we're not _close,"_ she replied.

"Then you shouldn't have any reason not to dump him," Diana said. "Look, I think you're a nice girl. just hang around us for a bit, 'kay?"

"I-I'll think about it."

"I know you'll make the right decision," Diana complimented. "Good kid."

* * *

 **Confessional**

 **Diana:** "I don't know what happened to Mili, but I realize I need Kiara's help now if I want to get rid of Van. I just don't know how to help her out."

 **Kiara:** "Listen to her… she's talking down to me, she thinks I'm just a kid. She thinks I'm lost, and she was perfectly happy to leave me with Van until it suddenly got inconvenient for her. At least Van is honest that he's out to get everyone."

* * *

Oregon threw a wooden spear into the river next to the Screaming Eagles camp, then pulled it back up pulling up a small fish with on the end.

"Let's get that thing on the fire," Tyrenee said from behind. "I'm starving here."

Oregon pulled up the fish and put it into his hands trying to hold it still. After he was steady, Tyrenee asked him, "where's your head at?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, according to Isaac, Cecilia told him you were on her side to get rid of Sarah… now that she's gone, where do you stand?"

"Man, I'm just trying to have fun. Honestly, I've come to dislike Rei more. She gets angry at the littlest things and she's so… aggressive."

"Agreed. I was thinking about going after Rei next. Sarah's a threat, but Rei is such a drain on the team morale it's not even funny."

"Right!" Oregon replied. "At least Sarah has moments of kindness."

* * *

 **Confessional**

 **Tyrenee:** "I'm feeling a little weird about my alliance with Isaac. I know it's more of a mutual agreement to target other alliances… but I can't help but want to do my own thing."

* * *

Gray was still wrapped in a makeshift blanket as the team skewered the fish over the fire to eat that night. While alone, Tyrenee grabbed Isaac over at a corner while the fire roared in the background.

"What do you think of voting off Rei?" Tyrenee asked. "I know she's not exactly part of an alliance, but…"

" _Hah_ , but nothing. We got Cici out, now we target the next biggest alliance."

"Sarah isn't a raging asshole though." Tyrenee took a second to pause. "Well, she is. But she's not as big of one as Rei."

"Don't let your emotions cloud your judgment, Sarah is objectively the better option."

"Is she though?" Tyrenee said suspiciously. "She helps out more than Rei does, for sure. And getting rid of her would surely help the team be more unified."

"We wouldn't be much of an anti-alliance if we didn't go after alliances, would we?" Isaac said.

"That's exactly what I was thinking… it was fun trying to get rid of Cecilia, but I think I want to go back to working alone."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean… I want to end our alliance."

"End it?" Isaac asked. "It's hardly even started."

"I feel more comfortable working alone," Tyrenee said. "It doesn't mean I'm planning on voting for you, though." She quirked an eyebrow and grinned. "At least, not yet."

* * *

 **Confessional**

 **Isaac:** "Game hardly started yet, and I've already lost my only ally," he says. "Looks like I have to start looking for someone else to help me with my anti-alliance. Preferably someone who'll do whatever I say, _heheheeeeeh_!"

* * *

Night passed for the Killer Bears as Paul was one of the first of the team to awaken from the shelter. He carefully stepped around his fellow campers in order to get out.

Someone else was already awake, though. "Where is it that which you are going?" Vi whispered..

"Out," Paul said simply. "I'm going to go look for food."

"May I come with you?" she asked. "I have some things that which I would like to speak to someone about."

Paul stared at her dully. "I'd rather no," he said softly.

"Two people searching for food is better than one," she stated. "Are you sure? Vi stood up and started moving toward him. "I would think that most people would appreciate the help, would they not?"

"God, you're persistent. What's your deal?" The two of them moved on outside the shelter, and started to speak normally.

"Do you know how Mili got eliminated?" Vi asked. "I know Kiara and Van are aligned, but I cannot find who else would have voted for her. Did you vote for Mili?"

"And keep Van around? Hell no, I voted for Van like I thought everyone else would."

"Obviously then, neither of us voted for Mili, yes? I do not think Diana or Seamus would have either. I definitely do not believe Mili voted for herself. That leaves Seth, Morrigan, Andrew, and Ryan as the only candidates. Coincidentally, those four plus Kiara and Van equals out to a majority exactly for the team."

"That makes sense…"

"If that is sound, that leaves me, you, Diana, and Seamus on the outside in a minority. I think you can tell where this is going now, yes?"

"You want the four of us to form an alliance to counter them, right? Is this why you followed me?"

"Indeed… I assumed through your interaction with Van that you were the least likely to have voted for Mili."

"Okay, so with there being four of us, how do we vote out Van _now_?"

"We must either hope that one of Van's allies were only voting his way temporarily or convince one of them to flip. Andrew might be the most willing to listen to a logical argument against Van, and Kiara could be turned against Van if he pushes her too far. Ryan might need is ego to be stroked. Seth and Morrigan are wildcards. I admit, I do not know why they would have voted with Van."

"I'm guessing I'm pretty much stuck with you unless I want Van to vote me out, right?"

"I assume so. An alliance of six is a little crowded for already, I would suppose. However, there is something else that I would like to bring up."

"And that is?" Paul asked.

"I know you are not going out to get food."

"What? Come on, what are you trying to say?"

"It is only logical, is it not? You are getting up early in the morning trying to avoid waking others up, and then being reluctant to bring someone along with you. You were going to look for the idol."

"That's a bit of a leap in logic."

"Is it? I would think going out of your way to help the team by getting up early to get food would be unusual for you. Perhaps I am wrong though. Although, if you were indeed going to look for the idol, I would not particularly mind. Any element that might help get rid of Van is better, yes?"

Paul sighed. "I guess."

"So, were you or were you not going to look for the idol?"

"Yeah, I was," he finally admitted.

"I am satisfied that you admitted it," she stated. "Are you aware that if you were to play this right, you would be capable of eliminating Van without needing to have the required votes?"

"That depends on _if_ I find it."

"As far as I am aware, you are the only person that is searching. The likelihood that you will be the one to discover its location is rather high, I can imagine."

"Why isn't Van looking for it? Didn't he say he wanted it?"

"Over-confidence, I imagine. He believes he is in a good position right now, and perhaps he is. But I believe things happen so fast in this game that positions may change easily.

"Right, well… I'm gonna go look for that idol then."

"If asked, I will cover for you as I see necessary," Vi told him.

* * *

 **Confessional**

 **Vi:** "Van is my most direct opposition – I believe that if nothing is done by the time the next elimination comes around, I will be his next target. Previous experience has already made it known that I am one of his potential targets. Admittedly, I do not know what made him shift off of me last time. However, I am most aware that I must do what is necessary to avoid being in that position again."

* * *

The shot rested on an image of the Screaming Eagles camp as Tyrenee rested against the side wall of the shelter again, fast asleep.

"GOOOOOOOD MORNING SCREAMING EAGLES!" a voice shouted from within, immediately awakening her. Gray burst through the shelter doors and stretched her back. "Oh, what's goin' on teamie?"

"Sleep deprivation," Tyrenee said dully.

"Oh, you've had your eight hours," Gray dismissed. "Calm down."

"Gray!" Rei shouted. She forced her way through the door and made a reach for Gray. "What in the ever-loving _shit_ were you doing breaking the sound barrier at this time in the morning?"

"I'm no physicist, but I don't think that's how the sound barrier works," Tyrenee quipped.

Gray threw her hands in front of herself to push Rei away. "You seem upset about something. Can I refer you to anger management? I heard Sarah's therapist has an opening."

Rei pushed through Gray's hands and grabbed her by the collar.

Sarah walked out of the shelter looking a bit tired. "Rei, I sympathize. I really do. Just let her go."

Rei obliged, but turned on her heel to face Sarah. "Control your pets!"

Sarah ignored her and turned to the entryway of the shelter. "You broke the door, by the way. I expect it to be fixed by the time of the next challenge."

"But!"

"Learn to restrain yourself, or I will not hesitate to vote you out," Sarah told her.

"Gray started it!"

Wyvern came outside rubbing sleepy out of his eye and looked at the scene in front of him. "What's… going on?" he said groggily. "What happened to the door?"

"Ask Rei," Gray said.

"Ask Gray," Rei seethed.

* * *

 **Confessional**

 **Sarah:** "As much as I enjoy watching my enemies shoot themselves in the foot, this is a bit comical. I mean, if Rei _wants_ to be eliminated next, then by all means I'm happy to oblige.

 **Tyrenee:** "I thought I signed up for Total Drama… it looks like in reality I've been locked in a zoo with a bunch of murderous nutcases. Things like this just go further to cement my case to vote out Rei."

 **Rei:** "They are all imbeciles, every single one of them. I am the most valuable member of the team, _I_ have the largest IQ of any of them. And yet they threaten to eliminate me? I have no words. Their stupidity knows no limits."

 **Wyvern:** "Okay, I'll admit it. Rei scares me a little. I'm thinking I should probably vote for her next time we lose, I guess."

* * *

As Rei was reluctantly working on the door, some distance away out of earshot, Wyvern got alone with Gray and Sarah to talk.

"You're pretty much in charge right now," Wyvern told them. "So… I was wondering if you'd consider voting out Rei next time we lose."

"Of course," Sarah responded with a smirk. "If that's what you guys want, that's what you want. As long as nobody's gunning for me."

"I mean, I think Rei was about to beat me up soooooo, I'm in," Gray added.

"You know, for what it's worth, I didn't get involved in the drama last time at all," Wyvern told them. "I voted for Aiden."

"Good," Sarah said. "But I'll have you know Aiden is on my side, too."

"Oh… sorry."

"It's fine," Gray told him. "You didn't know."

"Just don't let it happen again," Sarah added. "Remember who's in charge of this team. If I get the slightest smell of you trying to vote me or my allies out… I will personally guarantee you a seat on the Boat of Losers. Are we understood?"

"I see… Okay, I understand," Wyvern agreed.

* * *

 **Confessional**

 **Wyvern:** "Man, and I thought Rei was sus. Cici was right, Sarah's running her own personal dictatorship. I mean, I still want to get Rei… but Sarah is such a major downer.

* * *

Paul returned to the Killer Bears camp cabin, where everyone was finally awake. Most of the team had cleared out of the cabin, but Seamus and Diana were asked to stay by Vi.

Paul took a seat by Vi within the cabin.

"Did you find it?" Vi asked.

He pulled out an object that resembled Chris's head. "It was too easy. I found it under a pile of rocks just outside camp."

Vi nodded. "Then you understand what needs to happen."

"I don't get it," Diana interrupted. "What's going on?"

"Of course, I was planning on explaining the situation to you two," Vi said. "I am sure you are both aware that it was not Van that was eliminated, but Mili. This, of course, leads me to the obvious conclusion that there are five people sided with Van for a majority of the team, leaving four people outside his alliance. Process of elimination concludes that the four of us are the ones that voted for Van. In order for us to stand a chance, Paul has found us the idol so that it may be played immediately following our next loss. If played correctly, we may be able to eliminate Van without a majority being necessary.

"Wouldn't we have to guess who to play it on?" Diana pointed out.

"I have no doubt Van will target me next elimination. Indeed, I know not for what reason I wasn't eliminated this time. He has made it quite clear that he is focused on me."

"This sounds like a good plan!" Seamus agreed. "Anything that helps serve Van's speedy ejection."

Vi gave him a curt nod. "I apologize for this, but I think I need to make this clear. I am afraid that this information must stay between the four of us. I am afraid anyone else might leak the information to Van, I've also taken the liberty of reading through the entire contract before coming," she stated. "There are no rules against stealing idols."

"You read it all?" Paul asked. "That thing was hundreds of pages long."

"Two hundred forty-six, to be exact," she corrected. "Admittedly, it was not a particularly thrilling read. However, I deemed it necessary to understand all the rules and precaution of the show beforehand. Most of it was filler, likely intended to pad out its length to make it even more of a daunting task to read."

"Sounds like Chris," said Diana.

"Anyway, I'm keeping this in here," Paul said as he put the idol into his bag.

Just on the other side of the wall, the cameras showed an image of Kiara with her hear pushed against it. She narrowed her eyes and clenched her fists to the side.

* * *

 **Confessional**

 **Kiara:** "I-I can't let Van get voted out, that's my protection. I have to do something!"

 **Seamus:** "If there's one thing I know, it's that this team is infinitely resilient!" she shouts. "I know if we all come together, we can fight off the blight that is troubling this team once and for all!"

 **Vi:** "Last elimination, I made a mistake. I assumed there would've been enough votes cast against Van to make his push against me meaningless. Unfortunately, my assumption proved false. However, I was not punished for my mistake as Van did not target me. I feel there needs to be a course correction in my gameplay, I admit. I cannot sit idly by and let things just happen again."

* * *

Isaac pulled Ayane side from the others holding a charred piece of fish. "Listen up, kiddo! Man, do I got a good deal for you!"

"Good deal?" she asked.

"Look, I know you got a vote last time… that means someone's out to get you. I can help with that, y'know?"

"Someone's out to get me?"

Isaac put his arm around Ayane's shoulder. "Yep, probably. And unless something is done, it might be you voted out next… I can help you, but you gotta do somethin' for me."

"What do I need to do?"

"Next time we lose, we need to vote out Sarah, got it?"

"Cecilia told me to do that, too… it didn't work and she got voted out though…"

"Yeah, I forgot you were on Cici's side last time… look man, just vote the same way again. Easy peasy, yeah?"

"Cici told me Sarah was going to vote for me."

"See? Reason enough to vote her out, riiiiight? Just stick by me and we'll go places, kid!" He tossed her the piece of fish and let go of the shoulder. "Let's get on with this then."

* * *

 **Confessional**

 **Isaac:** "Now, that wasn't so bad. It sure helps that Ayane was probably going to vote for Sarah again anyway, even without my… intervention. Maaaan, this game is so easy, will I ever slow down? _Heheheeeeeeeh!"_

 **Ayane:** "Cecilia was really nice to me when she asked me to vote for Sarah… but Isaac made me feel kinda weird…"

* * *

Chris McLean stood near a large cave entrance holding a megaphone wired up to the rest of the island. "Listen up campers," he called out to the entire island. "Meet me at the entrance to the Pahkitew Underground for your next challenge!"

* * *

The Killer Bears walked to the challenge area as Van, Kiara, and Morrigan filled up a group about in the middle of the pack. Kiara walked with her hands in her pockets looking down at the ground.

Van scoffed. "What are you fuckin' moping about?"

"I-It's nothing," she dismissed.

"Then stop whining, I have a challenge to win and I don't need _you_ slowing me down over _nothing_."

"I'm not -"

"Shut up," he snapped. "I don't need your justifications. Your input is not needed, and you're not valuable to me. As far as I'm concerned, you're less than worthless."

Kiara gave a visible wince. "Okay Van."

"Hey… that's not very nice," Morrigan chimed in. "You should apologize!"

"For what?" he scoffed. "It's the truth. She'd be nothing without me – if I hadn't stepped in, her

ass woulda been the first person eliminated, guaranteed."

"Well… even if that's true, you shouldn't say such things," Morrigan defended.

"Whatever."

"My mother said that those who do not treat others with proper respect are cursed with bad luck for eternity," Morrigan added. "I try to be nice so that won't happen to me, _huhuhuh_ "

"Frickin' weirdo," Van muttered.

* * *

 **Confessional**

 **Kiara:** "I mean… if that's what Van thinks of me, I-I guess there's not any reason to tell him about the idol. Th-That's okay, I guess. I wasn't going to tell him anyway – I need it for myself, and I know he'll just take it from me if I tell him." She punches the wall of the confessional and snaps, "nobody understands, this is _my_ game to win."

 **Morrigan:** "Van needs a lesson in kindness, _huhuhuhuh."_

* * *

The cast finally arrived at the cavern entrance as Chris stood before them, to the left of him were the Screaming Eagles and to his right the Killer Bears.

"Welcome to the third challenge, future victims!" Chris greeted. "This time, we're solving your problem-solving skills in today's challenge – the largest maze known to man, placed in this underground cavern."

"Mazes?" Paul scoffed. "How original."

"In this maze," Chris said after clearing his throat. "You'll face deadly challenges in there – some of you might not even come back alive!" As he said that, several members of the cast gave a gulp of fear.

"Inside the maze, you'll eventually find a gold mat deep within – first team to find it wins the challenge, and to be perfectly clear, _every_ member of your team must reach the end to get the win. There's no partial credit. The two teams will start separated – Killer Bears, you'll be taking the right path, Screaming Eagles on the left."

"May I?" Vi spoke up. "What type of maze is it that which you've created? Does it loop back in on itself at times? Is it a natural cave or completely artificial?"

"This maze _does_ loop back in on itself… as for your second question, I'm gonna need some clarification. _Everything_ on this island is artificial."

"My apologies… does it look like a normal cave?"

"No, it looks like a maze," Chris answered. "Except its underground… where nobody will hear you scream. Well, I will… but I won't care, _haha_!" Chris pulled out a small air horn and blew it. "If that's all your questions, get in there and do this challenge!"

* * *

The shot cut to the Screaming Eagles inside the entrance to the maze in a long hallway, the end of which led into three different paths. As they moved deeper end, the sunlight behind them came to an end as a large door shut behind them.

"Which way are we taking?" asked Wyvern.

"We split up," suggested Sarah. "Some take the left, some go straight, and the rest on the right."

"We need groups, then," Tyrenee added. "I'd prefer some time alone, if at all possible."

"Request denied," Sarah said. "Myself, Gray and Aiden will travel together in group one," she said. "Wyvern, Tyrenee, Rei, and Antony – group two. Finally, Isaac, Oregon, and Ayane are group three. We'll go left, Wyvern's group will go forward, and Oregon's group goes left."

"Hell no!" Antony shouted. "Antony works alone, yah losers!"

"Oh, no," Sarah said forcefully. "If Tyrenee isn't going alone, you sure as hell aren't either. I am not losing this because of bullheadedness.

Antony shoved the team aside and shouted, "Later nerds!" He ran down on of the hallways on his own.

Sarah took a deep breath. "Wyvern, Tyrenee… _Rei,_ looks like you're on your own."

"Hmmm, _child's play_ ," Rei bragged. "A maze is a simple order, it's a game made for the entertainment of small children – impossibly easy for someone like me."

"Hmph, for your sake I should hope you perform well today… after all, it's your game that's on the line, isn't it?" Tyrenee pointed out.

"What do you mean," Rei snapped. "I've been nothing but-"

"Shut up and go, Rei," Sarah finished.

* * *

 **Confessional**

 **Sarah:** "At this point, I think I've pretty much made up my mind. Rei goes next – her ego is too much to deal with. Antony can join her if he doesn't get his act together, but he isn't aggressively psychotic."

 **Tyrenee:** "I'm honestly not super thrilled at being dragged off with Rei…"

* * *

As with the Screaming Eagles, the Killer Bears were faced with a choice of path as the door shut behind them.

"So we should split up?" Diana asked.

"No necessarily," Vi decided. "Because we all need to be present for victory to be assured, dividing only assures that we will only be as fast as the group that arrives last. Going as a single unit guarantees that whoever is the fastest at solving mazes."

Seth pushed his glasses up. "Isn't there this thing where if you always go right you solve the maze."

"I had accounted for that," answered Vi. "Unfortunately, it will be primarily guesswork. Chris said that the maze loops back in on itself – which means at times making only right turns will at times lead us in circles. Even if it did not, only taking right turns would take far too long anyway – we need to be faster than them."

"You're not the leader," Van scoffed. "Kiara, me, Seth, and Morrigan are going out on _our_ own – this way," he said. He pointed down the left hall.

Diana quickly grabbed Kiara by the arm and pulled her behind her. "She's not going anywhere with _you_."

"I-I can go," she said weakly.

Diana just held on tighter. "No you can't."

Van took a step forward, but Seamus came in front of him. "Not this time."

Van just clenched his fists.

Vi cocked her head to the side. "This needs not escalate further. Please, leave."

"Tch…" Several seconds of tense silence passed, then Van turned on his heel and left down one of the halls with Seth and Morrigan following. Diana let go of Kiara.

Vi moved next to Diana. "Did you notice anything?"

"What?"

"It appears Van took… or tried to take his allies with him," Vi said. She took glances and Andrew and Ryan. "He does not consider those two allies, thus nullifying my hypothesis."

"Wh-What are you talking about?" asked Kiara.

"Nevermind," Vi said. "You may come with us."

* * *

 **Confessional**

 **Kiara:** "I'm tired of people thinking they know what's best for me!"

 **Vi:** "I noticed Van did not decide to bring Andrew and Ryan with him… I wonder as to what reason he would do such a thing," he asks the camera. "Unless this serves to prove my theory false. It now it appears that they were not siding with Van directly, but targeted Mili independent of any alliance. It might even be possible to vote him out without the use of an immunity idol."

* * *

As they walked through the hall, Wyvern stopped in his tracks. A small mural of the island was carved into the cave wall. "What's that?" he asked out loud.

"Weird, it looks like something carved into the wall… isn't that strange for Chris to do?"

"This whole island is strange," Rei dismissed. "We should keep moving."

Wyvern took out his camera and captured a photo of the wall.

Rei grabbed Wyvern by the arm and physically dragged him forward. "We're wasting precious time!"

* * *

"Thanks," Diana said to Seamus. "Thanks for keeping Van from Kiara."

"No problem!" he agreed. "It's my job to keep the people of this team safe!"

"I'm just tired of seeing Kiara being dragged off alone with Van… it's not right."

"Yeah, I got it."

Seamus stumbled a bit as he walked forward.

"You okay?" Diana asked. "What was that."

Seamus turned around to look at what he stepped on and examined the floor closely. He bent down on his knee. "It looks like… a pressure plate?"

Kiara looked up in a flash. "Guys, move!" she shouted quickly.

Diana, Kiara, and Vi jumped backward as a large wall came down in front of them, blocking the way forward and separating them from the rest of the team.

"Wh-What the hell was that?" shouted Diana. "Chris is _trying_ to kill us!"

Kiara wiped the dirt off of himself as she stood up. "We're gonna have to find a way around."

* * *

As the dust cleared, Andrew, Paul, Ryan, and Seamus were left on the other side of the wall.

"Looks like we're not going back…" Andrew admitted.

"Yeah, no shit," Paul said. "There's a giant wall there."

"Calm down," Seamus said. "We stick together."

Ryan went up to the new wall and knocked on it. "Girls? Can you hear me?" he yelled, trying to get their attention.

There was no answer.

"We're alone," Andrew stated.

"This is hardly my idea of sticking together," Paul quipped.

Andrew sighed and crossed his arms. "We should keep moving – losing those three is going to slow us down, so we can't afford to stop." He looked behind him to see a branching path. "We take a right here."

"Why?" asked Ryan.

"The less time we spend making the decision, the better," Andrew replied confidently.

"So we're leaving the rest of the team behind?" Seamus said doubtfully.

"Unless you brought a drill to bust down that wall," Paul said. "Let's go."

* * *

 **Confessional**

 **Andrew:** "Admittedly, the present situation is… less than ideal. Without everyone else, it will be up to me to lead the group. Seamus has great leadership skills, but his unwillingness to break his personal laws makes him less than perfect as of now."

 **Paul:** "Look, I don't know what universe stick together means get split up into several tiny groups… but it isn't this one." He gives a deep sigh. "Alright, I don't care. As soon as we lose, I play this idol on Vi and knock Van out of the game."

* * *

Seth adjusted his glasses as his small group with Van moved forward.

"Why do you think the others wouldn't let Kiki come with us?" he asked. "I kinda like hanging out with her, _heheh_."

"Because they're weak," Van scoffed. "They're afraid to let me have power."

"I don't know," Seth replied. "You seemed to back off when Seamus threatened you, eh? Don't seem weak to me..."

"Are you calling _me_ weak?" Van grabbed Seth by the collar. " _Huh_ **?** "

"L-Look man, I didn't mean to make you upset, I don't know what I'm talking about. I just notice things, man! I can't watch my mouth!"

Morrigan put his hand on Van's hand and pulled back. "S-Stop."

Van pushed her off. "Back off, bitch." He shoved off both of them away. "Fuck it, I'm going out on my own. Don't follow me."

"What was that about?" Morrigan asked.

"Uh, er… I don't know…" Seth sputtered.

* * *

 **Confessional**

 **Seth:** "Man, Van really is grouchy, isn't he? Welllll, it doesn't matter. The only reason I'm with him is to get to Kiki, _heheh_."

 **Morrigan:** "I hope Van looks forward to the day he dies, he'd make such a good corpse. People with the most anger always make the nicest corpses, _huhuhuhuhuh_."

* * *

As they walked, Gray carried Aiden on her back again. Sarah followed closely behind the two of them crossing her arms.

"What would you do?" Sarah asked.

"Okay, I'm going to need a little more clarification than zero on that…" Gray answered slowly. "What do you mean?"

"About voting out Rei… what are you thinking?"

"Rei's mean…" Aiden said from Gray's shoulders.

"Hah, I'm just following your orders," she answered. "That's what you pay me to do."

Sarah gave a short breath. "Hey, you asked me to be a little nicer. This is me being nicer. What do you want me to do?" she asked. She paused for a second. "And what makes you think I'm paying you?"

"The million dollar prize," Gray said with a wink. "That's _my_ payment for putting up with you."

"In your dreams," Sarah responded. "But you didn't answer me. What would you do?"

"Rei, of course. She's been nothing but an asshole the entire time."

"True… but Ayane presents the best option to the team, strategically speaking. Besides Aiden here, she's the physically weakest."

"Hey, if you get Rei out, you know it'll buy favor with the rest of the team, eh?" Gray suggested. "I mean, right now you're not exactly super popular right now. Perhaps getting rid of a common enemy would make it better, right?"

"Have I ever told you you're my best friend?"

"Hey, considering your personality, I'm the best you can get," Gray joked.

"You don't think I have friends?"

"I don't think you have _many_ friends," Gray said with a smirk. "But hey, you can count on me."

"I know I can," Sarah said confidently. "That's why you're on my side. You're not Cecilia. You won't betray me like she did."

"I don't know, I could be… selling you out to Rei as we speak."

"If Rei finds herself voted out by me, I don't think it'll come as much of a surprise to her," Sarah said. The group went down one of the hall and dissipated off screen.

* * *

 **Confessional**

 **Sarah:** "At this point… yeah, I consider Gray and myself close to each other. I don't suspect her to betray me, and I know she is someone I can rely on. Despite her… quirks, she's displayed an acute awareness of gameplay and is capable of strategizing on her own. What I'm saying is, she's useful to me and I consider her… a friend in this game."

 **Gray:** "Do I think Sarah's a totally humorless naysayer with a stick a mile up her butt? Yeah," she says with a grin. "But she also called me her best friend. That's probably the sweetest thing she's ever said to... anyone."

* * *

Isaac carried with him a small rock that he tossed with him as he traveled down the maze halls with Oregon and Ayane.

"I've already talked to Ayane, but… would you like to get rid of Sarah when we lose, man?" Isaac asked.

"Sarah?" Oregon asked with surprise. "I mean… I voted for her last time, but at this Rei's become even more of a target, right?"

Isaac gave a slight frown. "That's not what I wanted to hear…"

"Sorry, dude. We can't let her hang around anymore. She has issues, man."

" _Heheh,_ come on man. You gotta understand the strategic implications of this. Sarah is objectively the better option, she has everyone eating out of her hand.

"I've heard that before," Oregon said sarcastically. "Cecilia said the same thing."

"Fine… Fine," Isaac sighed. "And what about after Rei's gone? What would you do then?"

"Then I might consider it," Oregon answered. "If you help vote out Rei."

"I got it, kiddo," he said. "Ayane, change of plans. Vote Rei."

She gave Isaac a shy nod.

* * *

 **Confessional**

 **Isaac:** "Okay, I ain't upset nobody wants to help me vote out Sarah… in hindsight, it really ain't surprising there's not much support to get rid of her, sooooo… I'm just gonna have to get her later, _heheheeeeeh!"_

* * *

Vi tucked lightly on the rim of Diana's shirt and glanced at Kiara. "May I speak to her?"

"Yeah, sure," Diana said. "I don't see why you need my permission, though."

"I was asking for privacy," Vi said. "I want you out of earshot for this."

"Oh…" she pondered. "I guess that's fine."

Kiara nervously fidgeted her hands as Diana raised her hands until she was a short distance from them. "Oh… I-I don't really have anything to talk about."

"I just had a few questions for you… is that okay?"

"Wh-What type of questions?" she asked.

Vi looked behind herself. "Walk with me."

Kiara sighed and started taking a walk down the maze going straight forward. It was probably a minute that had passed before it seemed Vi was finally satisfied.

She lightly tapped her chin. "Do you know why Mili would have a grudge against you?"

"Wh-What? No!"

"Does the word 'Castiel' mean anything to you? I had noticed Mili repeated the term, but unfortunately I do not know what it could possibly mean. I thought perhaps you would understand."

"I think it's like… some really bad world in Spanish… I think -"

"There is no short 'i' sound in Spanish. Castiel is either English – and as far as I recall it is no word I know of – or it is a name. As memory recalls, Mili was not initially hostile toward you. Indeed, it started immediately following the challenge."

"Stop!"

"I wonder… you did not answer the question regarding your last name. Would it perhaps be Castiel?"

Kiara stopped in her tracks. "You don't know a damn thing you're talking about!"

"But I can't help but think… what significance would that name have to Mili. It's obvious to me that you knew something at least, or you would not have hidden it."

"Am I being interrogated?"

"Let me ask another question," she continued. "Why would you stay aligned with the likes of Van? He obviously verbally berates the team most of the time, treats everyone on the team like they're beneath him. Even you."

"Are you judging me?" she accused. "Right, this is about strategy. You're upset that I've got the winning alliance."

"You seem tense," Vi observed.

"Yeah, well – unlike you, some people have emotions."

"However, you should know that this is not about strategy. At least, not for me. I urge you to get as far from Van as possible, it is only a matter of time before he explodes. He's a ticking time bomb if I've ever seen one. Did you notice he had a knife taken away from him from the start? I wonder what type of person it takes to consciously keep him in the game."

"Are you saying I'm wrong?"

"I don't recall saying anything… just take care of yourself."

" _I will_ ," Kiara said harshly.

* * *

 **Confessional**

 **Vi:** "I wanted to press Kiara on the information I had gathered so far and to be honest the results are precisely what I expected. I will need to analyze her further, but thus far I have concluded that her last name is Castiel, which meant something to Mili. Furthermore, Kiara expresses deep anger when either herself or her actions are called into question, which is in direct contrast to her more anxious personality she displays. The conclusion I come to is that Kiara might not be one of the most… stable individuals out there, and I worry that Van might only be making that worse."

 **Kiara:** She holds her head under her hands, leaning forward. "I did _nothing_ wrong."

* * *

"So what's it like being Van's lapdog, Andrew?" Paul said scathingly.

"I don't know what you mean," Andrew said.

"Well, we know you voted for Mili last night… Ryan, too."

"I did what I deemed necessary," Andrew stated. "Mili hardly spoke any English, her usefulness was limited. As grating as Van is, he was objectively the better option."

"Yeah, whatever."

"Uh, I heard Mili was saying bad things about Kiara – she told me so. I trust her."

"I think he's upset that we sided against him this time," Andrew observed. "He should know that I don't intend on keeping Van around – I'm hardly siding with him."

"I'm not aligned with him either," Ryan agreed. "He's a bad dude."

"Then why'd you vote for Mili?"

"Like I said, I thought it was the better option," Andrew told him. "She was the biggest drag on the team and Van serves to keep the attention off myself."

"And Kiara told me -"

"Ryan, you're fucking stupid if you thought for a second Mili was in any way worse than Van."

"Hey, guys!" Seamus began.

"I wasn't about to let Kiara get bullied," Ryan said.

"Guys!"

"Van's already doing enough of that," Paul said with an eye roll.

"GUYS!" Seamus shouted.

Andrew turned back toward Seamus. "Yes?

Seamus pointed to a golden mat in a circular room down the hall. "We made it!"

* * *

 **Confessional**

 **Seamus:** "I knew perseverance and determination would see us through in the end… it's a shame the others can't get along though, looks like I'll have to work on our team unity!"

 **Paul:** "Yeah, okay. I'm more pissed that Andrew and Ryan got in the way of my game than anything, but whatever."

 **Ryan:** "Kiara came to me about her concerns about Mili, what was I supposed to do? I cannot forsake a lady in need."

* * *

Seth and Morrigan walked with each other through the mazes of the hall as Seth awkwardly adjusted his glasses. "Man, never knew how quiet it would be without Van, _heheh_."

"Only the dead are quiet," Morrigan said.

"R-Right," Seth agreed. "Uh, you're not gonna like… murder me in my sleep, are you?"

"But… don't people need sleep?"

Seth sighed. "Man, that's not the point. You're a real creepo, y'know?"

Morrigan cocked her head to the side. "I get this weird aura from Kiki…"

"Weird aura?" Seth asked. "Does that means she likes me."

" _Huhuhuhuh,_ you're funny," Morrigan chuckled. "No… her aura is wavy grey."

"Wavy grey? What does that mean?"

She put her finger to her lips. "I'm not supposed to say what the auras mean."

* * *

 **Confessional**

 **Seth:** "I know what wavy grey means… it's her hair color, _heheh_."

* * *

Rei clenched her fists as Tyrenee and Wyvern followed her. "There it is!" she shouted. "The end." Before the three of them was the golden mat, with Seamus, Andrew, Ryan, and Paul.

"Ladies," Ryan greeted. "And little man."

Wyvern gave a slight frown. "Where are the others?"

"Still in the maze," Andrew stated.

"Not everyone," a voice said. Van walked in on the others with a malicious grin.

"Van?" Andrew asked. "Where's Morrigan and Seth?"

"They got too annoying… I ditched them," he said proudly.

"Wow, great job at sticking together," Paul said sarcastically. "Idiot."

"Are you asking me to cave your face in?" Van threatened.

Seamus ran up to Van and held him down by the arms. Van struggled to get loose, but Seamus pulled him down to the floor. "Let go of me, you brute!" he shouted.

"Looks like both teams have problems with psychopaths…" Wyvern said.

* * *

"That's it!" shouted Sarah. "We made it through the maze!"

Sarah, Gray, and Aiden ran up to the golden mat with the others. "Hey guuuuuuuys," Gray greeted. "What's up?" She glanced down at Van being held down on the ground. "Was there a fight I missed?"

"Let go!" Van yelled.

Just a moment later, they were joined by Tyrenee's group, Seth, and Morrigan.

"… We're still missing Antony," Tyrenee observed.

Rei's eye visibly twitched. "He's gonna lose us the challenge!"

* * *

"Diana," whispered Vi. Diana and Vi followed Kiara as they were walking through the hall as one of the last groups to not to make it to the end. "I spoke with Kiara… I came to the conclusion that her last name is Castiel."

"So?"

"I noted that she had tried to hide that fact, however. Does that name mean anything to you?"

"I don't think so… why would she hide that last name? It's not weird or silly or anything. I wouldn't have laughed."

"It meant something to Mili. When she learned her last name was Castiel, she immediately turned against her. The vote against Kiara must have come from Mili, too."

"So Mili knew something we didn't?" pondered Diana. "Are you saying Kiara might be… hiding something? Should we be suspicious of her?"

"Perhaps, but don't make her aware you are. Investigation concludes that she may not be completely stable. She's displayed some paranoia, I believe, which may be the source of her lie. Ensure that she does not believe you are out to get her."

"If she's paranoid about people being out to get her, why stick with Van?"

"… Perhaps because she already knows she cannot trust him, but she is suspicious of everyone else?"

"Devil you know is better than the devil you don't?"

"I believe so."

"But Kiara seems so… nice."

"She is… when her or her motives are not under question."

Kiara looked behind her suspiciously, and then back forward. "We've made it," she said bitterly.

* * *

 **Confessional**

 **Kiara:** "I don't know what they're saying, but they're talking about me. I can tell!"

* * *

The walls of the maze came down, leaving behind a large open room with Antony standing some distance away from the mat. Chris came on through the intercom system. "And the Killer Bears when the challenge!" he announced. "Screaming Eagles, you get to meet me tonight for a special elimination ceremony!"

"We won!" Diana shouted.

Seamus came up to her and gave a high five.

"You held me _down_ you brute," Van said. "I should kill you."

"I had to!" Seamus defended. "You made a threat, I had to act!"

* * *

"Antony!" Rei shouted. "You lost us the challenge! I swear, you will _pay_ for this slight."

"Keep that in mind for next time you want to leave us on your own," Sarah said. "Rei'll probably have your head on a stick."

"At least I know who I'm voting for," Rei said. "Goodbye, Antony."

"Yeah, goodbye Antony," Sarah said dully.

"Excuse me!" he shouted. "You'd vote out _the_ Antony over little man Aiden? I'm the ultimate badass, hell yeah!"

"Shut up, Antony," Sarah said calmly. "I'm thinking."

* * *

 **Confessional**

 **Sarah:** "Honestly, I have no intention of voting for Antony tonight… but letting him believe he is is a good way to make him shape up for the future. In addition, I don't want Rei to think she's gonna get eliminated. That's a disaster waiting to happen."

 **Rei:** "Antony lost us the challenge, so tonight's elimination should be _dead_ easy – unless they screw up and vote out the wrong person _again!"_

* * *

Seth went out on his own again to look for a control room, this time coming across the entrance to a cavern. "O-Okay," he said to himself. "Just a cave, just a cave."

He used his cellphone as a flashlight to navigate the cave until he found a small doorway into an underground facility. Inside, he found a vault door with a lever next to it. He pulled it, and inside the room he found several computers and a desk. "Gotcha!"

He pulled a flash drive out and stuck it into the computer, then pulled out his phone. He pushed a few buttons on the phone, and the door behind him opened, then closed again.

"I've got it!" Seth shouted. "I've got control of the island!"

* * *

 **Confessional**

 **Seth:** "Now I can finally be useful to the team!" he says to the camera. He gave a slight chuckle to himself before saying. "Think Kiki might like me more now that I can win challenges for the team?"

* * *

The Killer Bears were hanging around their camp after the challenge when Seth came up to them. Andrew and Seamus came up to confront him.

"Tardiness is not a quality of a good team player!" Seamus shouted. "You better explain yourself!"

"Where have you been?" Andrew questioned.

Seth pulled out his phone and said, "watch this!" He typed something in, and some of the trees surrounding the camp suddenly disappeared and went underground.

"You've got remote control of the island," Andrew observed.

"We'll never lose a challenge again!" Seth said happily.

"You plan to cheat with this?" Andrew said.

"Cheating! That's unsportsmanlike! Cheaters never prosper!"

"Think about it!" Seth said. "With control of the island, we can manipulate it to serve whatever we need!"

"This is where you were?" Andrew reasoned. "Looking for the control room?"

"Pardon me, but what if the phone were to get in the wrong hands?" Andrew stated. "Perhaps Van? We'd be looking at another Scarlett Fever if we're not careful. I'm not even sure if _you_ aren't the wrong hands."

"I-I'll be careful," Seth said. "You can't talk me out of this! I want to be useful!"

Andrew sighed deeply. "Fine, fine. Go tell the others – don't let Van or anyone close to him know you have this."

"Can do!" Seth saluted. "We're gonna be running smooth as Linux!"

* * *

 **Confessional**

 **Andrew:** "I'm not _too_ concerned about Seth having this. I think he's too incompetent to do any harm with it. I'm more concerned with Van getting a hold of this thing, which gives me all the more reason to want to vote him out now."

 **Seamus:** "Gh," he sputtered. "I-I can't allow _cheating_ on my team… but what do I do to stop it! I can't vote out Seth, I have to get Van! I can't steal the phone, stealing is unsportsmanlike!"

 **Seth:** "That went well, _heheh."_

* * *

"So Wyvern," Sarah began. "What's it like to travel the world with your parents?"

"Oh, it's wonderful!" he gushed. "I get to see Paris, Hong Kong, London, New York, Rio, Tokyo, Sydney, Lisbon, Cape Town, Moscow -"

"I get it," Sarah interrupted. "Cool."

"Look at you, talking to people like a regular human being!" Gray congratulated. "Who are you and what have you done with Sarah?"

"I'm just trying to make small talk," Sarah admitted. "Anyway, you're planning to vote for Rei tonight, right?"

"Yeah, she's been really… not nice."

"I thought so, I was just making sure," Sarah explained. "And if Rei were to get eliminated, who would you vote for after that?"

"I don't know, that's a bit far ahead – maybe Aiden?"

"Not Aiden, he's mine," Sarah denied. "Next time we lose, vote for Ayane."

"Aaand, now you're back to stratbot mode," Gray sighed.

"I'm just trying to think ahead," Sarah explained.

* * *

While everyone on the Killer Bears was away from the camp, Kiara went inside the cabin and took a peek inside. She went straight for Paul's bag and started looking through.

"Come one," she muttered. "I know you're in there."

She dumped it out and saw the idol fall onto the ground. She instantly snatched it into her hands. She determined it was too big to fit into her pockets, and she couldn't put it into _her_ bag. She knew it would be searched. She couldn't take it outside, or someone might see it.

She used the idol as a shovel, digging out a hole in the ground and burying it, making sure the spot where the dirt was disturbed couldn't be seen.

She ran out, and ensured nobody saw her.

* * *

Antony was standing outside the Eagles shelter, using large rocks to lift weights. Sarah and Oregon walked up to him. "Like what you see, guys? Hell yeah!"

"I've got fish grilled on the fire," Oregon said. "Do you want to eat?"

"Who are you voting for tonight?" Sarah asked.

"Little man, of course. He took weak to fight these challenge! I wanna make the team strong! Hell yeah!"

"His name's Aiden," Sarah said bitterly. "Oregon, you're voting for Rei, right?"

"Yeah," Oregon responded.

She nodded. "Good, it seems there's consensus then. I don't see any way Rei doesn't get eliminated tonight, then. I hope this is the right choice."

* * *

Paul came into the Killer Bear's shelter with Diana, and noticed the mess that because of his bag as all his belongings were dumped on the floor.

"Someone went through my stuff?"

"Uh oh… the idol, is it still there?" Diana asked.

Paul suddenly started tearing through all this stuff, throwing his things and looking through his bag. "It's gone," Paul said in shock. "It's gone, someone stole _my_ idol."

"Who went in the shelter?"

"I didn't see anyone," Paul responded. "It had to be one of us… I only told you, Vi, and Seamus!"

"I wouldn't think one of us -"

"Was it you?" Paul shouted.

"What?"

"Was it you!?"

"No, it wasn't me!" Diana quickly said. "I wouldn't… steal the idol. I swear!"

Paul looked down at the ground and seethed for a few seconds. "It had to be Vi. As soon as she realized she was on the line because Van stayed, she's been playing hard. She has to be the one who stole it!"

"I don't think she would do that, either. I spent almost all day in the maze with her."

"So was it Seamus?" Paul said.

"I don't think so…"

Paul smacked the back of his hand against the cabin walls. "Damn it!" he shouted. "Who was it?"

* * *

 **Confessional**

 **Paul:** "It had to Vi, she was the one that asked about the idol. This is what happens when I trust people in this game, I get stabbed in the back. Now we need a new plan to vote out Van."

 **Diana:** "There has to be something else, I don't think Vi or Seamus would do something like that, and it certainly wasn't me."

* * *

By nightfall, the Eagles were walking back to the voting area. Oregon followed Sarah behind the rest of the group. "This elimination is gonna get ugly," Sarah said. "Are you ready?"

"Can't wait for this disaster," Oregon replied.

A moment of silence passed. "Why'd you vote for me last elimination?"

"I mean… I'm sorry about that, but I like Cecilia more than you."

She sighed. "It was my fault," she admitted. "Because of our little fight, the entire team missed the obvious asshole on the team. We had tunnel-vision on each other, and if we didn't Rei would already be gone."

"Are you saying-"

"Yeah… I'm saying I've been playing too hard recently. I want to do what's right and vote out Rei."

"Well, good one you," Oregon said. "Good on you."

* * *

 **Confessional**

 **Sarah:** "Trying to curry favor with the people who sided with Cecilia early on might benefit me in the long run. Though it might not be necessary to get Ayane to like me, I plan to eliminate her after this anyway."

* * *

"Welcome to your second elimination ceremony, Screaming Eagles," Chris greeted as the team sat down on the logs. "You came close – you only had one person to go, _Antony._ "

"Piss off!" he shouted. "I work alone!"

"Tensions are flaring tonight, aren't they?" Chris continued. "It's gonna be a fun night, _haha!"_

"I feel confident about this vote," Sarah said. "There won't be a surprise tonight. There shouldn't be, at least. I've spoken with the others, it seems pretty unified."

"Yeah," Rei gloated. "It's Antony going home."

"Antony?" he shouted. "Piss off, I ain't done nothin'"

"Yup," Chris continued. "What an amusing team. But it's time to get on with the vote. You guys know the drill by now, so get to voting!"

* * *

"Alright, guys!" Chris said. "I have with me _nine_ marshmallows, and whoever does not receive a marshmallow gets eliminated, as usual. Of course if you had an immunity idol, you could avoid that, blah blah blah."

"We get it," Sarah said.

"Wyvern, Ayane, and Sarah are all safe," Chris declared as he gave them all their marshmallows."

"Cool," Wyvern said confidently.

Ayane caught her marshmallow quietly, and Sarah snatched her marshmallow out of the air quickly.

"Oregon and Gray are also safe."

Oregon nodded as he caught his marshmallow.

"Gotcha!" Gray said. She snapped her fingers and she popped the marshmallow into her mouth.

"Isaac," Chris said as he threw the marshmallow to the boy. "And the next marshmallow goes to Tyrenee."

"As expected," she said. She caught her marshmallow and gave the team a wry grin.

"Antony, Rei, and Aiden… you've all received at least one vote against you," he said. "One of the three of you will be eliminated tonight."

"Who voted for me?" Rei hissed.

"And with only one vote cast against him… Antony is safe!"

"Wait, what!" Rei shouted. "WHAT!?"

"Hell yeah!" Antony said as he caught his marshmallow.

"Why wasn't he eliminated?" Rei shouted. "I was the _only_ one who voted for him! He lost us the challenge!"

Chris gave her a slight chuckle. "Maybe they all voted for Aiden," he said knowingly.

"For their sake, they better had."

"With a grand total of eight votes against her… Rei is eliminated," Chris said finally.

She stood up and clenched her fists as tight as possible and shouted," WHAT!?"

"The Boat of Losers awaits," the host continued.

"No… this, this isn't fair!" Rei ranted. " _I_ was the best person on this damned team, they will fall apart without my help. I have the highest IQ on here, they need me. THEY NEED ME!"

"Chef Hatchet?" Chris asked. "Drag her away."

He grabbed her from behind and started dragging her down to the boat. "THEY NEED ME! THEY **NEED** ME!"

* * *

 **Confessional – Voting**

 **Rei:** "Tonight's elimination will be extremely easy – Antony screwed up the challenge, so he gets eliminated. There's _nothing_ that will stop me from winning this game.

 **Sarah:** "Right, so… just a day ago, I probably would be voting for Ayane in here, but I understand right now that Rei is the worst person for the team in the long run. I don't plan on throwing my game around any time soon."

 **Gray:** "Goodbye uber bitch, hello a million dollars!"

 **Ayane:** "Rei was really mean… so, I guess I have to vote for her. I just hope she doesn't get too mad when it happens…"

 **Antony:** "Sorry, little man. I gotta vote for Aiden – he's weak, so he gotta go! Hell yeah!

* * *

"And one villain finally gets eliminated!" Chris declared. "With Rei gone, will the Screaming Eagles finally be able to get along? Is Seth getting control of the island a Scarlett Fever waiting to happen? And what the heck happened to Kiara? Next time, it's all out war on Total! Drama! Nightmaaaare at Pahkitew Island!"

* * *

Rei sat alone on the Boat of Losers, seething with rage. "I don't understand why I was eliminated. I did **NOTHING** wrong. I deserve to be there more than any of those fools. Oh, I will return to this game – and when I do, I promise to _all_ of them that they will be sorry that they EVER crossed me. They will be sorry. I'll make them pay for what they did to me."

* * *

 _AN:_ _This elimination probably shouldn't come as very much of a surprise. I think I made it fairly clear this time who everyone was gonna vote for long before it came. Rei is bad enough with her large anger issues – worse than Sarah, and she also has quite a bit of an ego. She got bumped up one episode from where she originally got eliminated, though._

 _On the other hand, there are the fact that Seth now has Scarlett level control over the whole island and that Kiara has stolen the immunity idol from Paul? I wonder where these plots are going._

* * *

 **Screaming Eagles**

Sarah: The StratBot

Ayane: The Shy Girl

Aiden: The Weakling

Wyvern: The Tourist

 _Cecilia: The Child Prodigy [22_ _nd_ _]_

Gray: The Nutcase

 _Rei: The Aggressive Genius [20_ _th_

Tyrenee: The Loner

Isaac: The Trailer King

Antony: The Self-Glorious

Oregon: The Adventurer

 **Killer Bears**

Vi: The Stoic

Van: The Cutthroat

Diana: The Country Girl

Seth: The Hacker

 _Mili: The Desperate Foreigner [21_ _st_ _]_

Ryan: The Vanity Magnet

Paul: The Sarcastic One

Kiara: The Socially Anxious

Morrigan: The Creepy Girl

Andrew: The Rich Heir

Seamus: The Student Athlete


	5. Episode 5 - Battlefailed

_AN: Looks like we're finally up to episode five, and it's all out war this time. I'm gonna go ahead and get some user reviews out of the way._

 _ **Zibster**_ _: Wow, thanks for reviewing, I'm glad you like it. Yeah, Vi always seems to be somewhat of a breakout character for me in past versions. Not that I don't understand why, I enjoy writing for her too. I didn't really expect to see a fan of Isaac though. Sometimes I'm concerned with him appearing too much like Scott._

 _ **Guntooth:**_ _I appreciate the review, I can't say much as to how accurate your predictions are though ;)._

* * *

 **Screaming Eagles:** Isaac, Sarah, Gray, Wyvern, Ayane, Tyrenee, Antony, Oregon, Aiden.

 **Killer Bears:** Morrigan, Vi, Andrew, Van, Kiara, Seth, Diana, Seamus, Ryan, Paul.

* * *

"Danger! Suspense! Betrayal!" Chris introduced. "These are the things that describe last episode of Total Drama, where the teams raced to complete a maze laced with dangerous traps and _death!_ The Screaming Eagles ended up coming in last place due to Antony's arrogance. In the end, though, it wasn't him who paid the price, but instead it ended up being Rei who was eliminated for being a raging psychopath. Sarah tried to turn a new leaf on her team by helping vote out Rei… time will tell if that helps her out."

"Things weren't so pretty for the Killer Bears – Paul's immunity idol ended up being stolen by none other than Kiara _Castiel,_ but he believes that Vi is the one who took it. The idol was supposed to be used for a rising resistance group against Van, but without it only time will tell if they end up successful. On the other hand, Seth has gained control of the island and plans to use it for his nefarious plans – by which I mean cheating in challenges."

"Tonight, the teams will be going to battle in a game of Capture the Flag. Who will survive the all out war? How much further can these teens fall? Find out right now on Total! Drama! Nightmare at Pahkitew Island!"

* * *

(Opening Theme)

* * *

Diana stood outside her team's cabin, staring at the stars while lying on her back – trying to clear her head of Van, Kiara, and the idol when Vi came outside with her.

"What are you doin' out here?" asked Diana.

"I believe that question applies to you right now, yes?" Vi stated. "I had noticed you were not in the cabin with us… I thought you might be out here."

"Yeah..." she responded solemnly. "You know Paul's idol was stolen? He thinks it was you."

"I heard," Vi responded. "Do you trust me?"

Diana closed her eyes slowly as if to think. "Yeah. I do. Does Seamus know?"

"Paul has informed him as well. You should know, it is a near impossibility for Van not to get voted out next time we lose. We know Ryan and Andrew voting for Mili was only a temporary state of affairs, and he does not consider to two of them allies. I have concluded this, and I am confident in my deduction."

"Will we stop having to deal with this… bullshit then?" Diana asked. "Or will some new disaster spring up to replace him?"

"With Kiara around… I am afraid I cannot promise anything."

"You really think Kiara's suspicious?"

"I know her last name is Castiel and she has a reason to hide it. Reason enough that she would not be willing to divulge it for a challenge."

"Still… it might be because of her parents. The actions of them wouldn't really reflect on her, would they?"

"I have indeed considered the possibility that she would be ashamed of something a relative of hers had done. It would be similar to Sarah's statement that she is Scarlett's cousin, yes? I am more concerned about you, however. What is it that which is troubling you?"

"It's nothing, really… I'm just – just letting the game get to me a bit."

"Very well…" Vi said slowly. "Will you come back to bed?"

"I think I'll sleep out here tonight," Diana said. "The stars are nice tonight."

"I understand, have a good night Diana."

* * *

 **Confessional**

 **Diana:** "It's just… it's been three days and Van is still in the game. I've been doing everything I can, but is that enough?"

* * *

At the same time at the Eagle's camp, the team was preparing to go to bed late after their elimination ceremony. Tyrenee sat outside the shelter as Sarah walked up to her.

"At least it's quiet now that Rei's gone," Sarah told her.

"I'll say," she responded. "I'd throw a fit if I got called incompetent one more time..."

"Yeah," Sarah said with a smirk. "Say, I was thinking. My alliance hardly has a majority yet, and I couldn't help but notice that you're free right now. Would you care to join me?"

"I don't do alliances, sorry."

For a split second, Sarah scowled. "Can I at least get a guarantee you won't vote for me or my allies?"

"Can't do that, either," Tyrenee responded.

Gray jogged up to the two of them and interrupted. "Is she bothering you? I'm her boss, so I can clear her out of here if you want.""

"Actually, yes," Tyrenee said with a smirk.

"Okay, Sarah – come with me. Most people don't like to talk strategy all the time. Leave the poor girl alone."

Sarah reluctantly nodded and went away from the shelter with Gray, glancing behind herself toward Tyrenee occasionally. "You're not my boss," she muttered under her breath."

"I am as long as you're listening to me!" Gray said with a wink.

"Hmph."

* * *

 **Confessional**

 **Sarah:** "Without Rei, my position in the game isn't as secure as it was before. I only have Gray and Aiden as permanent allies and there's already a target on my back. I might be able to sway Oregon, perhaps."

 **Tyrenee:** "Now that Rei's gone, I can get back to voting out threats. I don't want to lock myself down, but I think I'll be voting for Sarah next time."

* * *

Sunrise came over the Killer Bear's camp. Seth, Andrew, and Diana were outside the team's shelter sitting down on the ground.

"Think we should go outside and get food?" Diana asked them.

"No need, anymore," Seth said with a smirk. "Yo, guys! Check this out!" He pulled out his phone entered something in. Several bushes stocked with berries appeared out of the ground. "Free food. It's the same ones I tested before, so, they're good." Seth started picking the berries and putting them into a bucket.

Andrew gave a slight frown. "I hope you know what you're doing."

"I'm a master hacker – I can do anything!" Seth said.

"This feels wrong…" Diana added.

After Seth was done, he pulled the phone back out and pushed something else. The bushes retracted back into the island. He adjusted his glasses. "But sooo good, too, right?"

"Let me ask you a question," Andrew leered. "What happens if, for example, Van get that remote?"

"I've got maximum firewall one – I keep it hidden at all times," Seth assured him. He started patting down his pockets. "Hold on, where _did_ I put my phone…" He touched his back pockets. "Oh, there it is."

Andrew turned and rolled his eyes.

"You've got a password on that thing, right?" Diana asked with concern.

"Passwords, _heheh_ , what are those?" Seth teased.

"You don't have a password on it?" she exclaimed.

"Nah, I don't need a password. I keep it on me all the time, anyway – nobody can get it. It makes opening the phone faster, you know?"

Diana could only stand stunned.

* * *

 **Confessional**

 **Diana:** "I ain't a techie or nothin', but… I think he should at least have a password on his phone, right?

 **Andrew:** "I think Seth on his own is too oblivious to pose much of a threat – the problem is he's also too oblivious to take measures to avoid the phone getting in the wrong hands. Could you imagine the island under Van's control? Even if it means potentially weakening the team, I think I need to find a way to take Seth's phone for myself and hiding it. This is something that needs to be treated with care.

* * *

Oregon stood by the Screaming Eagle's fire sipping out of a wooden cup of water. "Yo," Isaac greeted him. "What's up, man?"

"Thirsty, dude," Oregon responded. "Trying to keep my strength up for the challenge."

"Good, good… would you do me a favor?" he asked.

"Depends on what it is…" Oregon responded suspiciously.

Isaac gave him a thumbs up. "Would you vote for Sarah when we lose? I think it's about time she goes home, dontcha think?"

Oregon quieted down. "I think… she's been getting better recently though. She's not snapped since the first day."

"Only a matter of time," Isaac smirked.

Sarah suddenly came up behind the two boys with a knowing smirk and put her arms on both of their shoulders. "What's going on, guys? Talking about anything important?"

"No," Isaac denied.

Sarah clicked her tongue. "Oh, that's not what I heard."

"Isaac's telling me to vote for you," Oregon admitted, throwing Isaac under the bus.

Sarah let go of Oregon and increased the weight on Isaac. "So you say I might… _snap_ sooner or later, do you? I mean, you do remember what happened to the last person that crossed me, right?"

"Yeah."

"Well, unless you want to meet the same fate, I suggest you stop this ridiculous push against me, okay?" she commanded. Sarah dropped any veneer of kindness. "Don't forget who this team belongs to."

Before Isaac knew how to respond, Sarah was gone. Isaac whistled. "Yeah, that's definitely Scarlett's cousin."

* * *

 **Confessional**

 **Oregon:** "Sarah doesn't take people trying to vote against her well, but as long as she isn't pushed she's fine. Is that a good enough reason to vote out someone weak instead of her, though?" he questions.

 **Isaac:** " _Heheheeeeeeeeh!"_ he snorts. "Thanks Sarah, you just assured Oregon would vote for you."

* * *

"Listen up, campers," Chris called through the intercom system. "You don't have to go anywhere for today's challenge. You'll both see that a flag has appeared at your team's camp – a green flag for the Screaming Eagles and a red flag for the Killer Bears. This is because you're all playing a game of Capture the Flag. Your job is to take the flag belonging to the enemy team and return it to your own camp. First team to capture the enemy flag wins the challenge. You can use whatever means necessary to take the flag – weapons, traps, assault. If you name it, you can do it.

"Whichever team has their flag captured loses the challenge and gets a member of their team voted out… _but…_ tonight, both teams will be attending the campfire ceremony. You'll all find out why later, _haha_!"

* * *

Sarah observed the flag that had appeared before her and started glancing at the map the team was given, planning a route to attack the Killer Bears already. "We're going to need weapons," she observed. "The way to their camp is down the mountain, so I want defensive lines set up as well. This cliff will be a fortress."

"Yeah, I don't feel comfortable swinging weapons at people," Tyrenee said uncertainly.

"I do!" Gray shouted. "Give me a hammer, I want to be Thor!"

"We can fight, but no seriously injuring the competition, _Gray._ We're not savages," Sarah said sternly.

"Poop… can I at least cover their unconscious bodies in spaghetti?" Gray asked.

"We don't even _have_ spaghetti," Sarah pointed out.

"I could use grass as pasta and the sauce could be replaced with blood from my gaping wounds," Gray suggested. "I'm just spitballing here."

"Any ideas from someone who _isn't_ Gray?" Sarah said forcefully.

"Can I use my air guitar as a weapon?" Antony asked.

"Damn both of you," Sarah said out of exasperation. She pointed at Wyvern. "You're normal. What do you suggest?"

"…We could make bows to take advantage of our elevation, I guess," he said. "Shoot them before they can even reach us."

"And the arrows can be flaming!" Gray added.

"I like the bow idea… but no fire," Sarah refused. "And no sharp points, either. We're aiming to deter, not harm." She clapped her hands together and smiled. "Let's make some bows and spears then." She turned to Gray. "And one hammer."

* * *

 **Confessional**

 **Sarah:** "Don't get me wrong, I like Gray as a person. Her quirkiness can give me a headache at times, though. I think I'm gonna go sit down and rest while I'm waiting on the weapons."

 **Gray:** "I can't wait to taste the fires of warfare!"

* * *

Seth snapped his fingers and pulled out his phone. "Check this sweetness out," he said. He typed something in then pointed at the edges of the campsite dramatically. Massive walls came up and started surrounding the camp, complete with a gate and portcullis and blasting away the old rock fence that used to surround the camp. "How do you like us now!"

"I've always wanted to live in a castle, _huhuhuhuh,"_ chuckled Morrigan.

Seamus stood still, struggling not to say something about the cheating.

Van gave him a silent smirk. "I'd like to see those pigs get in here _now_."

"It gets better!" Seth said. Several iron weapons came out of the island as well, including maces, crossbows, and broadswords."

Van grabbed one of the maces and grinned sadistically, almost caressing it. "Oh, this challenge is going to be _fun._ "

"Can I veto Van's participation in this challenge?" Diana asked.

Van pointed the weapon at her menacingly. "Not this time, darling. This time, _I'm_ in control."

Morrigan took a sword. "Huhuhuh… _sweet."_

* * *

 **Confessional**

 **Van:** He swings the mace and the outhouse wall, putting a large dent in it. "Oh, that's _so_ wrong… but oh so beautiful."

 **Paul:** "Yeah, this is gonna go well. Let's hope for my sake that the other team isn't so blood-thirsty."

* * *

Antony and Oregon were working together taking leftover logs from the cabin construction and putting them upright to build a palisade wall around the cliff, with a walkway over it for firing with the bows.

"Look at this _manly_ wall! Hell yeah!" Antony shouted as he was pushing a log up with his back.

"It's just a wooden wall, my man," Oregon said. He took a few step backs to look at it. "This'll hold though, I think."

"What's going on, boys?" Gray said as she came up behind them. She was holding with her two large jagged clubs, one for each of them. "I come bearing death sticks."

Oregon took his club and gave it a few swings to the side. "Nice!"

Antony struck Oregon with his club, who recoiled in pain. "Badass! Hell yeah!" Antony shouted.

"Ow, duuude… that hurt." Oregon lightly poked Antony with the weapon. "Focus on the challenge."

"Don't leave me out of the fun!" pouted Gray. "I still need Mr. Hammer to join in the fun!

Oregon gently laid the club on the ground and stuck both his hands in his pockets. "I don't think you need any weapons… sounds like a liability," he said.

"You're right, I don't need weapons. Anyone up for a baptism by fire?" she asked.

"You're extra hyper today," Oregon observed.

"That's because I'm in my element," Gray said with a wink.

* * *

 **Confessional**

 **Gray:** "My enemies shall know fear! Blood shall spill on the battlefield today, _muahahaha_!"

 **Oregon:** He holds up the club in his hand in front of the camera. "It's weighted well, an effective weapon. I should know, I've had to fight off dangerous tribespeople in the Amazon."

* * *

"Alright," Van began in front of his team. "I want the invasion party to be myself, Kiara, Morrigan, and Seth. Grab a weapon and come with me," he demanded.

Kiara sighed and looked at the ground.

Van crossed his arms and scoffed. "Well? Is there anything you want to say?"

"W-Well… it's just that… well… I don't think th-that there could be a worse group, you know? I-I mean, between me, Seth, and Morrigan… none of us have any combat skill…"

"Are you trying to be smart with me?" Van accused.

"Well… I'm not _trying_ to be." She glanced around at the others nervously. "I just think that people like Diana… or Seamus would be better."

Van stared her down for a second. "… _Fine._ Seth, give me your phone."

He held the phone close to his chest. "Uh, I'm not supposed to…"

"Give me the damned phone, Seth!" Van said. He started aggressively walking toward Seth with his hand outstretched.

"I can't!"

Kiara jumped between the two of them, and blocked Van from getting to Seth.

"What the fuck? What do you think you're doing?"

"I-I'm sorry… you can't have it," she squeaked.

"Get out of my damned way!" Van said coldly.

Kiara looked down and stared at her feet to avoid eye contact.

Van stood still looking tense. "Fuck it," he muttered. Van curled his fist into a ball then struck Kiara in the face, knocking her to the ground.

Before Van knew what hit him, Seamus tackled him to the ground. The rest of the team quickly rushed to Kiara's side. She was leaning against the ground with a cut on her forehead and tears in her eyes.

"Kiara!" Diana shouted. "Are you okay?

Kiara nodded, and Diana tried to help her back to her feet. The two girls looked down at Van being pinned to the ground. "Something needs to be done..." Diana trailed off. "Do we have a way to contact Chris?"

Andrew glanced at the cameras in the trees and started waving.

* * *

 **Confessional**

 **Van:** "She got what was coming to her, she wouldn't get out of my way. I consider that an official act of betrayal, and it was handled justly. She'll think twice about stabbing me in the back next time."

 **Andrew:** "Exactly what I was concerned with – Van tried to take the phone for himself, and someone got hurt in the process. It causes more harm than good."

* * *

"I heard you guys needed my help," the host said as he arrived at the Killer Bear's camp. Chef Hatchet followed closely behind them.

Diana inhaled to try to calm down. "We'd like to forfeit the challenge…" she said slowly. "We have a… problem we need to deal with."

"Oh, I saw," the host responded. "Is everyone who _isn't_ Van in agreement, though?"

"I-I think so," Diana said.

"Are you sure?" he asked. "The challenge will continue, so you're leaving yourselves with the potential for a double elimination," he explained to them.

Diana nodded slowly. "Yeah, I understand."

Chris started going through the names of the people in the camp. "Paul, do you agree?"

"Obviously," he said bitterly.

"Seamus?"

He was still trying to hold Van down, and nodded from on top of him.

"Kiara?"

"Y-Yeah…" she said as she stared at the ground.

"Diana?"

"I've already said yes…" she said.

"Andrew?"

He nodded curtly. "This team can no longer function with him."

"Seth?"

"Anything for Kiara!" he shouted.

"Morrigan?"

"He's mean, _huhuhuh,"_ she laughed awkwardly.

"Vi?"

"It is the most logical choice," she nodded.

"Paul?"

"Duh!" he said bitterly.

"And Ryan," Chris finished.

"Of course," he said calmly.

"Then it's official, Van is the fourth person voted out of the game," Chris decided.

"Hrnghhh!" Van shouted.

"However, the challenge continues and tonight will be a double elimination," the host continued. Seamus let go of Van and smoothly transitioned to Chef Hatchet holding him, getting ready to escort him over to the Boat of Losers.

"You're all _weak!_ " he ranted. "I was the best strategist in the game, _I_ knew how to play! I was supposed to have won the million dollars! This was my game to win! MY GAME TO WIN! You know nothing! NOTHING!" he shouted. "I was you all to hear me, and hear me clear. When I return to this game, and I _will_ return, you will all be sorry you ever crossed me."

"H-Hey Van," Kiara said as she started walking up to him as he was held upright by Chef. "I-I want to tell you something… something I've been meaning to tell you all game…"

"What?" he scoffed.

"I win," she smirked.

"GRAGH!" Van yelled.

Van tried to lunge, but Chef Hatchet held him tightly by the arms and carted him off into the woods.

"Well, that was interesting," Chris said dismissively. "The challenge continues as normal," he said as he followed Chef away."

* * *

 **Confessional**

 **Kiara:** She's rubbing the blood off her head with tears rolling down her eyes. She inhales deeply and sighs to regain composure. "Van doesn't know it, but he just gave me the win. Nobody would dare vote me out after what just happened."

 **Diana:** "Van's gone… I hardly believe it," she admits. She shakes her head. "I think I need to spend a little time with Kiara after that."

* * *

The Screaming Eagles used assorted boards and rocks and target practice for the makeshift bows. Wyvern fired at one of the targets.

"You missed," Tyrenee observed.

"Ugh, I can't do this!" Wyvern complained.

"We need archers," she said. "Someone who can shoot from a distance to cover Oregon and Antony."

"What good are they? They don't even have tips," Wyvern said.

"I imagine it's rather distracting to be pelted with wood, though," she said. "I'm an archer too, but I'm not any good either, if it helps."

"Yo!" Gray greeted.

"Check me out!" Gray came in carrying a rock tied to the end of a large stick. "I've become Thor!" She swung down at one of the targets and smashed it to bits. "Oh… ohohoho," she chuckled maliciously. She brought the weapon up to her mouth and kissed it. "It's a beautiful day to be alive…"

"Oh, look. It's the resident serial killer," Tyrenee said with a wry smile.

"Guilty as charged," Gray responded.

* * *

 **Confessional**

 **Gray:** She holds her hammer out caringly."It's so beautiful…"

 **Wyvern:** He examines the dent in the confessional wall. "Where'd that come from?"

 **Tyrenee:** "I think I'll take Gray's comment about being a serial killer as a joke than an actual confession… for my own sanity."

* * *

Diana found Kiara curled up somewhere near the edge of the woods keeping to herself. She had her hood pulled over her head. "Kiara!" Diana shouted. "Kiara, are you okay?"

"I'm _fine_ ," she said bitterly. "Just leave me alone."

"I just saw you take a right hook to the face, something tells me you're not okay right now," Diana said. She took a seat next to her. "Come on, talk to me. Van's gone now."

Kiara stood up and started to head deeper in the forest. "I'm leaving," she said harshly.

"Kiara… wait!" Diana tried to tell her.

She ignored her and kept walking.

Diana stood back up and sighed. "I'm just trying to help," she said to herself.

* * *

 **Confessional**

 **Diana:** "Vi's right, Kiara _does_ push people away from herself. If only I could find a way to get through to her…"

* * *

At the Screaming Eagles, the preparation for the challenge was finally complete. Sarah was sitting at the edge of the cliff sharpening a long stick when Isaac came up to her with his arms crossed.

"Alright, _leader_ – we're done, what now?" he asked.

"Now we wait," Sarah said. "We're currently down a person, which is why I believe it will be more efficient of us to wait for them to assault us. I believe they will leave some people behind for defense, so we should have the advantage in such a case. After they fail to steal the flag, we counter-strike their camp."

"Tyrenee and Wyvern are armed with bows… Gray's got her hammer, and Antony and Oregon have clubs."

"That's not enough – you and I will use spears," she said. She tossed Isaac the finished stick and started sharpening another one for herself.

"That leaves Aiden and Ayane…" Isaac added.

"They don't much matter," Sarah answered. "I doubt either of them would be much good in a fight anyway."

* * *

 **Confessional**

 **Isaac:** "Hmmm, I've never used a spear before. I wonder what weapons the other team got…"

* * *

"You wanted to see us?" Diana asked to Vi. She and Seamus walked up her behind the team's cabin.

"I wanted to ensure that after Van's departure, the four of us are still sticking together – and if so, who we are voting out next."

"Where's Paul?" Seamus noticed.

"Unfortunately, he is currently refusing to speak to me. He believes I stole his idol. I think it is safe to say that he has left the alliance."

"Do you think we could get Kiara to join us now… I feel kinda sorry for her…" Diana added.

"I think we vote out Seth for cheating!" Seamus suggested.

"For this cooling off period, I was thinking rather seriously of voting out an easier target," Vi said. "Morrigan is one of the weaker people on the team, and most people tend to find her unsettling."

"She keeps talking about death and corpses," Diana agreed.

"As of right now, I believe Morrigan fits in the least, which is why I suggest she be the next elimination."

"Hey," Andrew greeted. "We're getting ready to try to take the Screaming Eagle's flag," he tossed Seamus a mace and Diana a bow. "I'll be armed with a bow as well, I'd prefer to stay away from the battle… Morrigan is coming as well."

"She's got a sword, right?" Diana remembered.

Andrew gave a curt nod. "We're really the closest thing to a fit attack force we can get… Paul refused to come with us, Seth won't leave, Kiara's too weak and she won't talk to anyone anyway."

"I probably would not be of much use out there either… what about Ryan?" Vi asked.

"He's afraid of being injured and ruining his looks," Andrew told her.

Diana gave him an uncertain frown.

"I know we're not the strongest group, but we still have an advantage," Andrew tried to reason. "We have actual weapons."

Diana sighed. "Let's go, then."

* * *

 **Confessional**

 **Vi:** "This challenge has brought to light that we may be the physically weaker team, unfortunately. Out of all of us, Diana and Seamus are the only ones that have any athletic skills whatsoever. Admittedly, I do not have much to offer in terms of physical ability to compensate, either. I do believe that we may be the more intelligent team, however."

 **Andrew:** "I think our use of real weapons might be enough to make up for our physical handicap and low numbers."

* * *

Diana looked up and saw the Screaming Eagles's shelter perched over the edge of the cliff far above her. "That must be it," she told the others.

"Feel good about this?" Seamus asked her.

"I'd feel better if this were a rifle," she said. "But then again, I don't want to hurt anyone."

As they talked, they saw a figure watch over them from over top of the cliff, then turn and walk away.

"Shit," Diana muttered. "They saw us."

Andrew looked up at the top of the mountain and back down. "I have an idea," he said. "Morrigan needs to stay behind while the three of us head to their camp. We get the flag and throw it down to her so she can get a head start. She'll be lost in the forest by the time they get down here to chase her."

"That might actually work," Diana agreed.

"I can do that, _huhuhuh!_ " Morrigan agreed. "Too bad I'll miss the fight…"

* * *

Sarah saw the Killer Bear's at the bottom of the cliff and turned to walk back to her team. "Get ready, they're coming up," she told them. "They look armed with better weaponry."

"They won't know what hit 'em," Gray said with a smirk. She was laying out a tripwire in the gate attached to some brush and a campfire beside it.

"What are you doing?" Sarah asked suspiciously.

"Oh, you'll see," Gray said with a smirk as she backed away from the trap. "They'll _all_ see… _bwahahahahaahaahaaaa_!" Her laughter started getting increasingly maniacal. She picked her hammer back off the ground.

"You know what? I don't want to know…" Sarah said.

"Yo, just make sure nobody trips the wire… I wouldn't want any unnecessary complications, _heehee_!"

Sarah stepped carefully over the wire and saw Antony and Oregon posted outside the wall with their clubs. "Did you hear?" she asked. "They'll be coming up here any time now."

Oregon clicked his tongue. "We'll be ready."

"Hell yeah!" Antony added.

"Good – and watch Gray's wire she put in the gate. God knows what it does, but I don't want it activating on one of us," Sarah warned.

"I'll watch it," Oregon told her.

* * *

 **Confessional**

 **Gray:** She starts laughing intently. "Ha… haha… bwahahahahahah! Fire shall rain down upon them. Doom! _Doom! Doooooooooomed!"_

 **Sarah:** "I can only hope Gray's bloodthirst is an asset for us during the challenge, she seems to have _something_ up her sleeve."

* * *

When they reached the top, Diana peeked out of a bush to see the enemy defenses and saw Gray, Oregon, and Antony stationed out front with Tyrenee and Wyvern standing on the wall. "Looks like five guards," she whispered. "As we thought, they've got makeshift weapons."

"Remember the plan," Andrew told her.

"It shouldn't be too far… we might be able to just run, take the flag, and throw it down to Morrigan," Seamus thought.

"We'll get rid of the archers," Diana told him. "You make a run for it when we fire."

Diana took aim of Tyrenee, and purposely barely missed her, sticking an arrow just below the wall. As soon as she did, Seamus started charging toward the wall.

"What the heck?" Tyrenee shouted as she jumped behind the wall for shelter. "You're using _real_ arrows?!" Wyvern quickly followed suit, not wanting to get hit either.

As Seamus barreled toward the gate, Gray jumped out of his way. "Let him pass," she said to Oregon and Antony.

They both cleared the way, and when Seamus got to the entrance he hit the wire and fell over. A clump of dried grass and other materials fell into the campfire Gray had prepared, creating a massive explosion. Seamus was fired back from the wall.

The entire wall became a flaming inferno. Gray drew her arms out from her sides holding her hammer as what looked like hell raged on behind her. " _Hahahaha,_ come get some!" she shouted.

Diana fired an arrow that should have hit Gray, but she effortless moved to the side and dodged it. She reached down and grabbed Seamus's mace and tossed it to the side where he couldn't get to it.

Seamus grabbed onto Gray's legs and pulled her to the ground. He tried to stand, still sore from the explosion and started running through the burning gate, but Oregon stopped him with a swipe to the legs with his club.

Diana narrowed her eyes with determination and threw her bow to the side. "I know what you're thinking," Andrew told her. "Don't do it."

She didn't listen. She started making a run for it toward the gate. She ran passed Gray, who was still laying on the ground. Antony and Oregon tried blocking her path, but she effortlessly ducked under them and passed through the gate.

She saw the flag and ran as fast as she could toward it. Suddenly, she felt her legs disappear out from under her and she rolled on the ground. Sarah had used her spear to trip her. "Oh no you _don't_!" She held her by the arms to keep her from the flag.

Diana kicked backwards and hit Sarah in the shin, causing her to let go in pain. Diana ran and grabbed the flag, and threw it down the cliff. "NO!" Sarah yelled.

* * *

 **Confessional**

 **Diana:** "I did what I need to, I got the flag to Morrigan. Now it's up to her to win the challenge," she says. "I have faith…" she adds uncertainly.

 **Sarah:** "Oh, they're not getting away with this _that_ easy."

* * *

Sarah quickly bolted away from the camp and down the hill, quickly grabbing Antony and Oregon on her way while chasing Morrigan.

Andrew tried to take a shot at them, but missed, and soon the three of them were scrambling down the hill to try to catch Morrigan.

* * *

Inside the burning camp, the gate became too much of an inferno to be able to be crossed, and Diana was locked inside the Eagle's camp because of it.

"Oh dear," Aiden said. "That's not good!"

"Looks like Gray's got a pyromaniac streak in her,"Isaac said. " _Heheheeeeeh!"_

Diana sighed. "Looks like I'm stuck in here until it dies out," she said. "So how are things over here?"

"Hell," Tyrenee said.

"Nobody over here has been very nice," Ayane added. "Except Cici…"

"Same," Diana admitted. "We just had to call an emergency vote to get rid of Van."

"An emergency vote?" Isaac asked. "You mean there's four people that's been eliminated, now?" He

gave a smug smirk. "I guess that evens the odds a bit, huh?"

"Thanks for shooting a _real_ arrow at me, by the way," Tyrenee said dully.

"I missed on purpose," Diana told her. "It was just to scare you."

"What if you accidentally hit me?" Tyrenee said with concern.

"I don't miss," Diana said confidently.

* * *

 **Confessional**

 **Ayane:** "I mean… I don't mean to offend my team. Some of them are pretty nice, like Oregon and Aiden… but Sarah and Antony are kinda mean."

 **Tyrenee:** "At least I had the courtesy to use tipless arrows…"

 **Isaac:** "I gotta thank Diana for that little insight I got into the Killer Bears… looks like there's quite a bit of discord I can use against them when the game merges, _heheheeeeeh!"_

* * *

Sarah made it into the forest beneath the Screaming Eagles's cliff after Morrigan, who had already run deeper into the woods. She jumped over a small creek and hopped down smaller cliffs.

Morrigan was significantly slower than Sarah, and eventually she caught up to her. Antony and Oregon followed close behind, but Sarah managed to tackle the girl to the ground.

Morrigan didn't put up much of a fight and lost hold of the flag to Sarah easily.

Sarah stood back up and held the flag over her head and out of Morrigan's reach. "Come on, give it back!" she said. She tried jumping to reach it.

Sarah tossed the flag back to Antony. "Get this back to camp," she told him. "Make sure nobody else on the other team can get it… me and Oregon will head to their camp."

Antony saluted and ran off back to the team's camp.

Oregon gave Sarah a curt nod. "We can win this," he told her.

"I know we can," Sarah responded. "And Antony? Take the other side of the cliff to go around the others in case they return to their camp. I don't want them to see that we got the flag back."

* * *

 **Confessional**

 **Sarah:** Charging their camp with only the two of us may be less than optimal, but I'm sure they sent their strongest at us. If that's the best they can do, I'm confident we can take their flag without much resistance.

* * *

Eventually, the fire died out leaving only the ashes of the wall. Diana started walking out of the camp sheepishly.

Andrew greeted her back in the forest. "Did you get the flag?" she asked.

"It's at the bottom of the cliff," she told him. "It's up to Morrigan now."

"Do you have much faith in her?" Andrew responded skeptically.

"Not really."

Seamus came up and dusted himself off of ash. "Well that was fun. Good teamwork, guys," he complimented.

Leaving so soon?" Isaac asked as he walked up to them. "Why don't you stay for dinner? Gray's probably roasted all our food, anyway."

"You're offering to feed us? That's some good sportsmanship!" Seamus shouted.

Isaac rolled his eyes. "It was a joke… on Gray burning down the wall…"

"Come on, guys," Andrew pushed. "We need to get back, anyway. Three of them are probably heading to our base as we speak, I saw them run off from my bush."

"Yeah, we should head out," Diana agreed.

* * *

Sarah and Oregon came upon a large concrete wall and stopped to check their map. "This must be the camp," Sarah said. "How'd they build up a concrete wall, though?"

"Who knows?" Oregon said. "We just gotta find the entrance."

* * *

"Do you hear that?" Ryan asked as he pushed his ear against the wall. "Someone's out there, and I don't think it's one of us."

He ran up and grabbed a slender metal rod from the weapons rack. He flicked the end, releasing a small vibrating sound. "I hope this is enough to scare them away."

He positioned himself at the entrance.

Sarah and Oregon suddenly ran into his view.

"Get back!" Ryan shouted. "I am not afraid to use this."

Sarah quickly swatted the pole out of his hand, and then shoved him aside. "Get out of my way," she remarked. None of the other people on the team could make an effort to stop her, and she grabbed the flag.

Paul tried to wrest the flag away from her, but she pushed forward and knocked him to the ground.

Before they knew what happened, Sarah ran back out with Oregon following.

* * *

 **Confessional**

 **Paul:** "Great, so now we probably lost."

 **Sarah:** "I figured as much. They left their weakest players behind to guard, which made things trivially easy to get their flag."

* * *

The teens still at the Killer Bear's camp were left bewildered by the attack that they couldn't do much to defend from.

Seth pulled his phone out and smiled confidently. "I know just what to do to keep this from happening again!" he said. He typed something in, and the front gate to the wall shut. "Now they can't get back in!"

Paul facepalmed. "Why didn't you do that _before_ they stole the flag?!"

"Hmm, I guess that would've been a better idea, huh?" Seth admitted. "Oh well."

"Yeah, great job. Thanks for losing the challenge, _genius_!" he scoffed.

"Hey, I thought Diana and the others would've taken care of it!" Seth defended. "I didn't' think anyone would actually show up!"

* * *

On the way back to their camp, Sarah and Oregon ran into Seamus, Andrew, and Diana trying to get to their own camp.

"You have our flag," Andrew observed.

Sarah narrowed her eyes and tried to run past them, but Seamus easily stopped her in her path, clotheslining her onto the ground. He picked up the flag and tried to run back to his own camp.

Oregon used his club to sweep Seamus's feet out from under him, and took the flag back. Andrew tried to take a shot with his bow, but Oregon ducked under it.

Sarah got back to her feet and charged toward Andrew, wresting the bow away from him. She pulled back to a distance and used her teeth to cut the string.

Oregon started bolting away from the battle area as quickly as possible, and Diana got up and started to give chase.

* * *

Oregon and Diana were relatively evenly matched in terms of speed. Oregon managed to keep just ahead of her because of his head start, but neither was either losing or gaining distance.

Both of them were narrowly dodging trees and brush to try to get the advantage.

* * *

"Guys?" Morrigan shouted uncertainly as she was alone in the forest. "Hello?"

Two sets of footsteps started charging toward her, and suddenly Oregon and Diana rushed past her at full speed.

"Are we playing tag, _huhuhuh_?" she said obliviously. "Why was I left out of the game?"

* * *

Eventually, Oregon crossed the Screaming Eagle's ash pile of a wall and managed to get the flag back to camp. He stopped to take a breath with Diana as the announcement finally played. "And the Screaming Eagles win the challenge!" Chris announced via the intercom. "Remember that both teams will be going to the elimination ceremony tonight. We're going to have some _fun!"_

Diana huffed. "You're pretty fast," she complimented.

"You would've caught me if I didn't get a head start," Oregon admitted. "You're not so bad yourself."

Antony came up behind Oregon and put his arms on his shoulder. "Good job winning the challenge today! You're on your way to becoming a real man! Hell yeah!"

"Oh… okay," Oregon said, slightly weirded out.

"Good game," Diana said, holding out her hand.

"Good game," Oregon agreed. He shook her hand cordially.

* * *

 **Confessional**

 **Oregon:** "It's nice to feel useful for the challenge – that Diana girl was pretty good during this," he admitted. "It's a little weird to be complemented by Antony though… I'm pretty sure I was already a man to begin with."

 **Diana:** "It's too bad to have lost the challenge, but I'm glad it ended up being a fair fight. Honestly, I'm kinda glad Seth's cheating didn't play much of a part, it means the other team is a worthy competitor.

* * *

Eventually, all the members of the Screaming Eagles managed to get back to their camp. Sarah looked at the mess of ash scattered all across the camp. "I appreciate your resourcefulness during the challenge," Sarah told Gray, "But…"

"But it helped you discover your inner pyromaniac?" Gray asked innocently.

"No," Sarah denied. "But I expect you to clean the mess you've made of the camp. _All of it._ I want this place looking presentable by the time we go to the elimination ceremony."

"Aww, come on. Our camp looks like a nuclear wasteland! it's artsy! We can become kings of the wasteland, we're fearless. We kill anyone who stands in our way!"

"Your disaster, your problem."

Gray gave a frown and hunched over. "Right on, boss," she said glumly.

* * *

The Killer Bears were also all at their camp, except one. Morrigan still hadn't made it back, yet.

"Has anybody seen a creepy girl?" Paul asked.

"Last time I saw her, I gave her the other team's flag," Diana said. "I saw her alone in the forest when I was chasing Oregon, but… I haven't seen her since."

"So she had the flag and she lost it?" Paul asked with an eyebrow raised.

"Yeah…"

"Well, for your information, I think we should vote out either her, Vi, or Seth. Vi _stole_ my idol, and Seth was stupid enough not to shut the front gate until _after_ the flag was stolen."

"It was an accident!" Seth defended.

"Who's your preference?" Diana asked.

"…Vi," Paul admitted. "Like I said, she stole my idol."

"Look, I don't really think she did – I think you're going after the wrong person here."

"Can you think of anyone else that could have done it?" Paul asked.

"Well, no…"

"Case closed," Paul said.

* * *

Aiden was helping Gray to clean up the ash in the camp and remove the burnt wood.

They took scoops of ash in a bucket and transported it to the river to dump it, when on the way there Gray stopped and looked at the bucket. "Yo, Aiden, check this out!" she shouted.

"What?" he asked.

She dumped the entire bucket on herself, giving her a sooty appearance. She pulled her arms to her sides. "I'm a chimney sweeper!" she said happily.

Aiden laughed awkwardly and dumped his own bucket into the river.

"Thanks for helping," she told him. "I needed it."

"Anything!" Aiden agreed.

* * *

Kiara sat against the back wall of the Killer Bear's cabin with her legs crossed when Andrew came up to her. He crossed his arms and looked down at her. "So, are you okay with what happened," he asked her.

"Yeah, I'm okay," she said hollowly. "Now that we lost… do you know who's going next?"

"As far as I know, it's going to be between Seth, Vi, and Morrigan," he explained. "Why? What's your preference?"

"Vi," she said simply. "What's yours?"

"Undecided," he answered. "But I'm leaning toward Morrigan – she's the least useful on the team."

Kiara cracked he neck nervously. "You know… now that Van's out, I need someone new to work with… uh, would you consider that alliance I offered a while ago?"

Andrew didn't give an answer.

"Seth is pretty much guaranteed to follow me whatever I do… a-and Paul's pretty upset with Vi."

Andrew nodded. "I'll see about getting Ryan on board, then," he said. "It's about time I take sides, I believe, and without Van I can be more free to take yours."

Andrew started walking away to talk to Ryan.

"Hey," Kiara said weakly as he was leaving. " _Thanks_ ," she said sincerely.

* * *

 **Confessional**

 **Andrew:** "I believe Vi may be a major strategic force in the game, in addition to the accusations of theft that were laid against her. Siding against her with Kiara seems to me to be the logical decision."

 **Kiara:** "I'm thankful to Andrew for taking me up on my offer of an alliance – I'm sure he made the right decision."

* * *

Antony pulled Oregon aside to give him a chat as he flexed his muscles. "See this!" he shouted. "If you follow me, you can be as big and strong as myself one day!" he shouted. "But I need to know that you're in this for real!"

Oregon rolled his eyes. "I don't need a teacher, I do well enough on my own," he said.

"You can be my protégé!" Antony said. "Don't you want to be like me?"

"Trust me, my dude. I'm athletic enough as it is. I mean, who won the challenge today?" Oregon coaxed with a smile. "I really don't need a teacher."

"You've got a stubbornness to you, too!" he complimented. "I like that! You'll be mighty one day! Hell yeah!"

"Yeah, whatever dude," Oregon said.

Suddenly, Antony felt the impact of something soft against his face. Something black ended up covering. The camera panned out, revealing Gray to be snickering with a handful of ash.

"You have performed an act of war!" he shouted. "This will be repaid on the battlefield!"

Gray clicked her tongue and winked. "It's so fun messing with crazy people!" she said.

"You're one to talk," Oregon laughed.

* * *

 **Confessional**

 **Oregon:** "Antony has become even more confusing than before. Now he wants to teach me how to become a man? Dude, I explore lost tombs and _crypts_ for a living, I think I'm strong enough not to need someone to tell me what to do!"

 **Gray:** "I'm not crazy, I'm eccentric!"

* * *

Andrew walked into Ryan and Seth against the concrete wall of the base. "Listen guys," he began. "Now that Van's gone, Kiara wants to know if you two want to be in an alliance with her," he said.

"I'll always be in an alliance with Kiki!" Seth agreed.

Andrew glanced over at Ryan expecting an answer.

"That depends on who she wants gone," Ryan said. "Who are we voting?"

"Vi," Andrew answered.

"I will consider it then – Kiara is a lovely girl, and it would be a shame to disappoint her, would it not?" he said. "

Seth pushed his glasses up to his face. "Vi is a little odd anyway, it wouldn't make much of a difference to me to see her go."

"That's good to hear," Andrew nodded.

* * *

"I talked to Seth and Ryan," Andrew told Kiara.

"…And?"

"Seth is… happy to do anything you want, I couldn't get a real answer out of Ryan. It would appear he is undecided."

"That's unfortunate," Kiara frowned. "Though… even without Ryan, the vote should be split enough that Vi should be voted out without much problem."

* * *

 **Confessional**

 **Andrew:** "In this case, I believe Kiara should be correct about the votes. Paul will likely be voting for Vi and Seamus will most likely vote for Seth. Between these two paths, the votes should be split enough that myself, Kiara, Paul, and Seth should be sufficient for Vi's elimination. Ryan would give us the majority though, and I'd rather not leave this up to chance.

* * *

"Listen guys!" Seamus shouted. "I need your attention, I want to vote for _Seth_ tonight!" he announced. "Now that Van is gone, I can no longer abide by his cheating."

"Maybe," Diana said. "But no offense meant to Morrigan… I think she's the weakest member we have right now."

"Logically speaking, I believe Morrigan would be the optimal vote for this team going into the future. She has the least cohesion out of all of us and I believe she is the weakest, besides myself."

"Gh!" Seamus sputtered. "But!"

Diana sighed. "I know you mean well, Seamus. I sympathize with wanting a cheater gone, I really do… but right now, Morrigan has to be the one to go. I'm real sorry, it's what's best for the team. Seth can go next time, 'kay?

"Seamus… a vote against Seth would be a waste and would serve only to make it more likely that myself is voted out. Tonight, the only people that have a realistic chance or being voted out are myself… and Morrigan."

"Why is she tardy returning to the team anyway?" Seamus questioned.

"I still ain't seen her…" Diana said.

* * *

 **Confessional**

 **Vi: "** I am extremely concerned about going into the next vote. I believe there is a distinct possibility that it will be me eliminated tonight with Van gone. The lack of easy targets has unfortunately increased the likelihood of my elimination, and I have proved myself to be a strategic threat. Not to mention I am suspected of theft…"

 **Seamus:** "Ghk… I can't let Seth stay in the game, but… I can't abandon my alliance either! What do I do!?"

* * *

Over at the Screaming Eagles, Gray and Aiden finally managed to clean up the campsite, minus the pile of charcoal left over from the fire.

"You know Gray," Sarah began. "We probably wouldn't have won if it weren't for your trap."

"Wellll, I didn't do it to stop them. I did it because it was fun. Do I at least get to keep my Thor hammer though?"

"As long as you don't, you know, swing it around at people," Sarah answered.

* * *

"Where have _you_ been?" Paul asked.

Morrigan finally came into the camp covered in dirt and twigs. "I got lost," she admitted.

* * *

Eventually, sunset came over the Killer Bear's camp.

Diana sighed. "Looks like it's time to go," she said. "What do you think's going to happen during the elimination tonight?" she said.

"If I had to guess, I would say we're going to have a team switch," Andrew said. "It isn't exactly unheard of for this kind of twist."

Paul rolled his eyes. "We'll find out when we get there, there's no sense thinking about it right now. Just get moving," he said as he pushed through the group.

* * *

The Screaming Eagles were walking to the elimination ceremony. Gray and Wyvern walked beside each other.

"So… you're a tourist?" Gray asked as she tried to suppress a smirk.

"I guess you could say that, I really like to travel with my parents!" he said happily. "But this sounded really fun too, so I couldn't help but sign up!"

"You know, I'm a traveler too!" Gray said.

"You are?"

"Yeah, actually I'm not native to Earth. You see, I'm actually from Mars – I'm just here doing some reconnaissance!" she said as she looked both ways. She put her fingers to her lips. "Now, I'm not supposed to tell anyone."

"That would explain a lot," Wyvern snarked.

"Hey, I was making a joke!" Gray said. "You can't turn my joke around on me! That's not fair!"

* * *

"Welcome to elimination number five!" Chris announced as the cast arrived. The Screaming Eagles took seats behind the Killer Bears. "So, we've got a fun twist coming up… but until then, we have an elimination ceremony to get to!" he said. "Killer Bears, you're now on your third elimination, how does that make you feel?"

"Well, it's not exactly our fault. This should be our second, but we didn't have much of a choice but to get rid of Van. There wasn't much of any other way," she said.

"And are things better without him?" Chris asked.

"Indeed," Vi agreed. "However, I believe it has put me in a precarious spot now, especially now that there is head on me."

"I _bet_ you are, thief," Paul accused.

Sarah smirked. "As much as I enjoy watching the enemy team eat itself alive, I'd prefer to get to my _own_ camp as soon as possible," Sarah said. "Get the elimination ceremony over with already, my team shouldn't be here anyway."

"Oh, it'll be a _long_ time before you get to got back to your camp," Chris said gleefully.

"What are you going to do to us?" Ayane asked with concern.

"Just a little bit of sleep deprivation and physical labor, nothing major," the host shrugged.

Sarah sighed and brought her head down into her hands.

* * *

 **Confessional**

 **Sarah:** "He's making us do another challenge," she said. "He's making us do another challenge in the middle of the night."

 **Ayane:** "Oh… I don't do well with a lack of sleep…"

* * *

"Looks like we've got an interesting elimination ceremony ahead of ourselves tonight," Chris started. "As per usual, when I call out your name, you will receive a marshmallow, representing your safety and future in this game."

"Interesting?" Seth asked. "What do you mean by that?"

"Diana, you are safe for tonight!" Chris said and tossed her the first marshmallow.

"Safe for one more night…" she told herself.

"Andrew, you are also safe tonight," Chris added.

Andrew nodded and caught his marshmallow, then threw it into his mouth.

"Kiara… and Seamus, the two of you also get to stay for at least one more night!" he called.

Kiara caught her marshmallow then popped it into her mouth. "Thank you," she said weakly.

Seamus stood up to catch his. "I did what I had to tonight…" he said reluctantly. "Even if it doesn't feel right."

"Paul!" Chris said as he tossed the next marshmallow.

Paul looked directly at Vi then smirked. "Take _that_ idol thief," he gloated.

"Ryan, you are the last person to receive no votes tonight," Chris finished. "You are safe."

He snapped his fingers and then caught his marshmallow. "As expected," he nodded.

"Seth, Vi, and Morrigan… the three of you all received a vote tonight, and one of the three of you will be eliminated. You will ride the Boat of Losers, and spend the rest of your time on Total Drama Nightmare and Pahkitew Island at the Playa Des Losers… with no chance of winning a million dollars."

Seth nervously gulped.

"The next marshmallow goes to… Seth!" he called out finally. "You only had one vote cast against you!" he said.

"Oh, thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou!"

"Vi… Morrigan, this is the final marshmallow. For one of you, this will be the end of your career on Total Drama!" he said. "The final marshmallow goes to..."

Chris paused dramatically as he held the marshmallow in the air, aiming between Morrigan and Vi. Suddenly, he threw the marshmallow in his mouth. " _Me_!" he shouted. "The two of you got four votes each, it was a tie."

"They're both eliminated?" Seth asked.

"No, we're going to a tiebreaker!" Chris called.

* * *

 **Confessional**

 **Vi:** "I'm rather thankful that the challenge will resort to a tiebreaker. I may not be particularly strong, but I feel I might be able to beat Morrigan in a challenge."

* * *

"I'm going to ask the two of you some Total Drama trivia," Chris decided. "I'm going to ask a question for you – if you get it right, you get a point and I move on to the other person. If you get it wrong, I ask the other person the same question, and if they get it right, they steal the point. First to three points wins. We'll start with Vi," Chris said.

She nodded. "Acceptable."

"Who was the first person to be eliminated because of an idol," Chris said.

"Funny you'd give her _that_ question," Paul remarked.

"It was Dakota," Vi answered.

"Correct!" he called out. "Morrigan, your question is who is the only male of the original cast to have ever switched teams?" he asked.

"Uh… I don't know?" she said.

"Vi?" Chris moved on.

She started counting the players on her hand, then counting them off. "Duncan, in Total Drama All-Stars," she answered. "He switched from the Villains to the Heroes."

"That's two points for Vi," he announced. "Vi, this could win you the point and keep you in the game," he continued. "Who is the only person to not merge in their first season, but return to be in a finale in a following season?" he asked.

"Beth," Vi answered

"Three for three!" Chris called out. "Vi stays in the game. Sorry Morrigan, but you're finally eliminated."

She got up from her stump with a smile on her face. "It's okay guys, I had fun, _huhuhuh!"_ She started walking down to the Boat of Losers.

Paul rolled his eyes. _"Whatever."_

"However, I can't let Vi survive a tie without any punishment, which is why she's being moved to the Screaming Eagles!" Chris announced. "Get used to your team!"

She nodded and walked back to the other seats with the Screaming Eagles.

"Now, get ready for what I call the Midnight Challenge!" Chris announced. "A challenge that will take place all over the island in the darkest of night, and will tap into your primal fear," Chris told them.

"Great," Paul said sarcastically. "I can't wait."

"But… that'll have to wait for next time, on Total! Drama! Nightmaaaaare at Pahkitew Island!"

* * *

 **Confessional – Voting**

 **Paul:** "Do I really need to explain who I'm voting for and why? It's obviously Vi, and there should be no reason for her not to go tonight.

 **Ryan:** "I've considered Andrew's offer, and I must refuse. I feel like Morrigan is the worst person for the team."

 **Morrigan:** "Nobody told me who to vote for," she pouts. "I guess I'll just vote for Seth, _huhuhuh!"_

 **Seamus:** "As much as I hate it… the others are right, if I don't vote for Morrigan, it'll be Vi getting eliminated instead!" he shouts.

 **Vi:** "Morrigan, naturally. I can only hope that I am spared this elimination."

* * *

Dramatic music begins to play as the camera settles on the old control room that Seth was in. Suddenly, the room became a whirl of activity. Blue screens appeared on all the monitors in the room, and a robotic announcement played across it. "Warning – critical error detected in island software. Foreign software discovered. Unauthorized personnel detected on island surface. Dispatching extermination bot to clear foreign presence." The message played on repeat until the screen faded to black.

* * *

 _AN: This double elimination wasn't exactly planned from the start. Indeed, initially I went in with the intention of only voting off Van this episode, but I knew I couldn't keep him around after he hit Kiara without making things seem wrong, so I went ahead and started a premature elimination ceremony and ditched him there. I still wanted to keep up the drama, so moving the next elimination up to her was only natural._

 _Van was a presence for his team up until his elimination, but he was only a starter villain. With him, the last person with totally black morality has left the island. Everyone else has a shade of grey to them. In the old version, Van would've been the last elimination of the merge, but after I dropped his facade, I figured it'd be more realistic for him to go earlier._

 _Morrigan was one of the nicer contestants, although she was, of course, a bit… odd. She was still a fun character to write for, though. I wish I could've made her stay longer without her shtick of creeping out her teammates get stale._

* * *

 **Screaming Eagles**

Sarah: The StratBot

Ayane: The Shy Girl

Aiden: The Weakling

Wyvern: The Tourist

 _Cecilia: The Child Prodigy [22_ _nd_ _]_

Gray: The Nutcase

 _Rei: The Aggressive Genius [20_ _th]_

Tyrenee: The Loner

Isaac: The Trailer King

Antony: The Self-Glorious

Oregon: The Adventurer

Vi: The Stoic

 **Killer Bears**

 _Van: The Cutthroat [19_ _th_ _]_

Diana: The Country Girl

Seth: The Hacker

 _Mili: The Desperate Foreigner [21_ _st_ _]_

Ryan: The Vanity Magnet

Paul: The Sarcastic One

Kiara: The Socially Anxious

 _Morrigan: The Creepy Girl [18_ _th_ _]_

Andrew: The Rich Heir

Seamus: The Student Athlete


	6. Episode 6 - The Midnight Challenge

_AN: Episode six is out, and it's the hunted versus the hunter. Watch the contestants as they navigate… the midnight challenge, and another elimination ceremony coming up. Read and review._

* * *

 **Screaming Eagles:** Isaac, Sarah, Gray, Wyvern, Ayane, Tyrenee, Antony, Oregon, Aiden, Vi.

 **Killer Bears:** Andrew, Kiara, Seth, Diana, Seamus, Ryan, Paul.

* * *

"Last time, on Total Drama!" Chris introduced, beginning straight from the elimination ceremony last episode. "The cast experienced to toils of war in our battlefield themed challenge, where they fought to the _bloody_ death trying to capture each other's flag. In the end, because of politicking and the superior strategy of the Screaming Eagles, the Killer Bears ended up taking a massive hit in the form of an unprecedented _triple_ elimination for their team!" he said.

"We're standing right here!" Ryan pointed out.

Chris pushed the boy off-screen. "Shut it, Ryan."

Chris continued with his recap. "It all started when drama stirred around Seth's phone, where Van made a bold attempt to _steal_ it! It ended up culminating in an assault against Kiara, resulting in massive backlash against Van and causing a never-before-seen elimination ceremony in the middle of a challenge. This was only the beginning of their troubles, however…"

"When their elimination ceremony resulted in a tie, it was resolved by a trivia challenge, where Vi easily showed Morrigan up and stayed in the game, but not without consequences. The creepy girl was sent home, and the _other_ creepy girl was sent to the other team. Will Vi be able to recover her position in the game with her new teammates? Find out right here on Total! Drama! Nightmare at Paaaahkitew Island!"

* * *

(Opening Theme)

* * *

"Aaaaand, we're back!" Chris began. "Are you all ready to here the rules of the next challenge?"

"Yeah, just get on with it, McLean!" Paul scoffed.

"Right," Chris said dully. "Today, you all hunted each other. Tonight, you're all gonna be hunted by _Chef Hatchet_ ," Chris declared. "You're all going to be let loose in the forest while Chef Hatchet is hunting with a paintball gun. If you get hit, you're out of the challenge. Last team remaining wins the challenge," Chris told them. "And one more thing – hidden all across the island are additional paintball guns. If you manage to find one, you can begin hunting the other team along _with_ Chef!"

"This challenge is hardly fair, we have fewer players," Andrew pointed out.

"Wow, that must suck so much that it _almost_ makes me care," Chris said. "Almost. You all should have thought about that before you _volunteered_ to have an elimination ceremony."

Paul scoffed and rolled his eyes.

"One more thing – I'll give you all a ten minutes to strategize before the challenge begins, so use it wisely. And be careful not to get _hurt_ out there."

* * *

 **Confessional**

 **Vi:** Being moved to a new team is less than ideal, unfortunately. It means I will need to form new connections with the members of the new team, something I admittedly struggle with already. Though, admittedly my position was not so well in my original team either…"

 **Paul:** "Bit of a shame I can't get to Vi anymore… but at least she's off my team."

* * *

Sarah offered her hand to Vi. "Looks like you're my teammate," she said genuinely. "Welcome, I hope things go better for you over here than it was with them. Honestly, I've got bigger things to worry about than voting for you."

"I appreciate the sentiment," Vi stated. "I imagine the implication behind your statement is designed to inspire loyalty to my new team going into the merge rather than feel a connection to the Killer Bears? If so, that subtly tells me that you, at least, intend to take me to the merge."

"Impressive deduction," Sarah noted. "Let's hope for your sake that you're not wrong," she said smugly. "I'm Sarah."

"I remember," Vi nodded. "We were all introduced during the first day."

Sarah looked impressed. "You remembered everyone's names?"

Isaac suddenly creeped up behind her and grabbed her shoulders, but Vi didn't even react. "Heeey, teamie," he smiled. "We're gonna have the best of times together."

Gray pushed her finger into Vi's cheek and then pulled it back. She stoic didn't even move an inch. "Wow, you're like a statue! Do you not have any emotions?"

Tyrenee rolled her eyes and lightly swatted Isaac and Gray away. "Good God, leave the poor girl alone. Just because she's a little _calm_ doesn't mean she deserves to have fingers thrust in her face."

"I thrust my fingers in more than just faces," Gray joked.

Tyrenee instantly raised her hand. "Chris!" she shouted. " _Chris!_ Please, let me switch teams, I beg of you! These people are _rancid!"_

Isaac sniffed his armpits. "I don't smell that bad."

Tyrenee got on her knees and latched onto his knees. "Anyone but them!"

Chris lightly kicked her off. "All team placements are final unless I say otherwise."

Tyrenee groaned in defeat.

* * *

 **Confessional**

 **Tyrenee:** "Ugh, I need some mind bleach," she mutters. "Anyway, it looks like Sarah and Isaac are already fighting over our newcomer's vote. It's to be expected, but…" Tyrenee shrugs. "To be honest, I don't really care what comes of it. I know I'm not a target right now."

 **Gray:** "What?" she says innocently. "I like sticking my fingers in jello, it's so squishy!"

* * *

"I hate to say it, but we should be probably split up," Diana said. "It'd be harder for Chef Hatchet to hunt down individuals, because if he finds a big group of all of us we could just all lose in an instant."

"Two groups of two and one group of three," Andrew said quickly. "We still need to keep an eye on each other."

"So the question is… how do we find those paintball guns?" Diana considered. "What kinds of places would Chris hide them?"

Seth's eyes went wide. "Hey, if we're going to be partnering up, can I go with Kiki?" he suggested.

"As long as I go with with the two of you as well," Diana said.

Kiara frowned. "Who said I wanted to go with _either_ of you?" she said bitterly.

"Never mind, then," Diana said, defeated. "What do you want to do?"

"I'll go with Andrew," she said.

"This is fine with me," Andrew stated. "What're the other groups?"

"Myself, Seth, and Paul will be the second group," Diana said. "That leaves Ryan and Seamus together."

"Can't I have a group with one of the ladies?" Ryan asked.

"Yeah, no," Paul said. "I think our groups are pretty much settled."

* * *

 **Confessional**

 **Kiara:** She throws her head into the back of the confessional, making an audible thump. "I'm sick and _tired_ of people telling me what to do!"

 **Andrew:** "Kiara turned to me when she needed an ally, which indicates to me that she has some level of trust in me. I don't particularly know why she does, but I do not intend on breaking it any time soon."

* * *

"Vi," Sarah began. "Would you like to come in a group with myself and Gray?"

"Whoa, no," Isaac refused. "I don't think you get to go alone with the new girl. You might end up _scheming_ together."

"And you wouldn't?" Sarah pointed out.

"This is unnecessary anyway," Vi said. "I would rather get to know a variety of members of this team better for now. Wyvern and Tyrenee, care to join me?"

Wyvern pumped his fist. "Yes! I get to hang out with new girl!"

"I'm down with anything," Tyrenee added.

"Hmmm…" Ayane pondered. "I guess I need her on the team mural."

"Team mural?" Vi asked.

"Ayane made this cool mural in the team cabin," Oregon said. "It's got all of us on it, except you now that you're over here."

"Anyway," Sarah said, trying to get back on track. "I'll go with Gray and Aiden, of course," she said. "That leaves Isaac, Ayane, Antony, and Oregon. How are you guys pairing up?"

"I guess I'll go with Ayane," Isaac said reluctantly.

Antony quickly snagged Oregon by the arm. "That leaves me with my brave student of _manliness!_ You can expect us to be the ones to win us this challenge!" Antony slapped Oregon on the back and laughed.

* * *

 **Confessional**

 **Tyrenee:** "It's so weird to see everyone practically _fawning_ over Vi. I don't exactly blame them. Between Rei, Antony, and Gray, we've been pretty short on level heads. I'd just prefer our newcomer to be not so… dead inside."

 **Sarah:** "The votes on this team are a mess, all I really know is that Gray and Aiden are on my side. Beyond that, I have no guarantees. I think getting Vi to help me out might get things a little more balanced."

* * *

"So… Killer Bears, how does it feel to suck so much?" Chris asked the team. "It's only day five and you've lost four whole members of your team!"

"It's hardly _our_ fault," Paul pointed out. "We only lost two challenges. That double elimination was BS and you know it."

"Maybe," the host shrugged. "Or maybe you should have thought about that before the vote resulted in a tie."

"We can hardly predict your stupid twists," Paul said.

"Tsk Tsk…" Chris shook his head. "Blaming other people for your own failures, not good. You should be ashamed of yourselves. In fact, as punishment… let's have another elimination ceremony right here!"

"NO!" Paul shouted.

Chris started breaking out laughing. "Ah, kidding. We have too many episodes to have a double elimination every day. You're all safe, for now. Until you inevitably lose tonight, that is."

Paul rolled his eyes.

Chris pulled out an airhorn and blew it. "Time's up guys, get going! Remember, last team remaining wins the challenge!" Everyone cleared out of the elimination ceremony. Chris held the airhorn close to his face. "I love this thing."

* * *

Diana and Paul walked beside each other in the middle of a dense forest. "Where the heck did the little nerd go?" Paul said. "I thought he was supposed to come with us?"

"He was…" Diana considered. "He's always running off."

"Speaking of… now that Vi is gone, I don't really have a reason to distance myself from you and Seamus anymore. Seamus really wants him gone, so it'd make him happy if we were to vote him out next. Plus, he's pretty useless in challenges, even with his cheating."

"What about Ryan?" Diana asked. "He's always thinkin' about his looks. He's pretty much the only outlier left on the team.

"Ryan's neutral – because of his little crush on Kiara, we know Seth'll vote however _she_ votes. That's a dangerous thing to keep around," Paul explained. "We don't really know who Ryan sided with."

"I don't even know who Andrew sided with," Diana pointed out.

"Or Morrigan, for that matter," Paul said. "I just know that Seth and Kiara had to have voted for Vi… there's too many unknowns on this team."

"Hey, all I know is that since there were four votes for Morrigan, at least one other person must be sided with us that we don't know of. With me, you, Seamus, and the unknown… that's a good majority, right?"

"Unless they vote differently next time," Paul said.

"Ugh, all this talk of strategy is making my head hurt."

* * *

 **Confessional**

 **Paul:** "As far as I'm concerned, Kiara and Seth are the opposing alliance. Kiara has someone who'll do whatever she says in Seth, so I need to shut that down as soon as possible. Andrew is a threat, but he can wait. I don't know who he's sided with. Ryan can wait, I don't know who he's with either. Kiara being a potential threat is a _joke_ , but she can't have any more votes than she needs."

* * *

"Kiara!" Seth shouted. "Kiki!"

Seth ran up to Andrew and Kiara walking in a sparser area of the forest waving his arms trying to get their attention. Kiara glanced behind her. "What?"

"I knew they couldn't keep us separated!"

"Seth, this is not the group you were supposed to go with," Andrew said. "What are you doing here?"

Seth began touching his fingers together awkwardly. "Well… you know… it's like I let love guide me here."

Andrew sighed. "Seth… you don't need to be here."

"Listen Kiara… I was meaning to tell you that… that… I FIND YOU REASONABLY ATTRACTIVE!"

"Uh…" Kiara sputtered.

Andrew tried to grab Seth by the arm to escort him away, but Seth broke free. "I LOVE YOU!"

"Keep your voice down," Andrew said quietly. "You'll lead Chef right to us."

"Heheheheheh… Too late." Chef Hatchet came out of a bush aiming the paintball gun right at Seth. He pulled the trigger, and the impact of the paintball knocked Seth flat on the ground. Andrew and Kiara immediately took off trying to get away, but shortly after Andrew took a hit from behind too.

Kiara dived into a small bush and out of sight after she was a distance away.

She stayed quiet as Chef Hatchet paroled the area until he eventually left.

* * *

 **Confessional**

 **Seth:** He rubs the paint off his shoulder. "Is this how flirting works?"

 **Kiara:** "It's not like I dislike Seth, but I wouldn't consider going _out_ with him either," she explains. "Of course, I've never been _liked_ by anyone either. I've never been able to hang out with people my age… because… well…" She quickly exhales and starts speaking again. "Right, you probably know who I am now, anyway. My parents are rich. _Filthy rich_. But I'm almost never let out of the house, and I'm sent to a private school that's just me and a few younger children of the country's top officials. I've never been able to interact with people my age."

* * *

"So, uh, what's weird with the weird lack of emotion?" Tyrenee asked. "You didn't even flinch when Isaac tried to scare you. How do you do it?"

"She's just good at keeping calm," Wyvern said.

"I do not know why I am the way I am, it is not something I particularly choose to question," Vi stated. "If I may… what is the political statement of this team? I think it is necessary to know in case I need to vote soon."

"Easy, Sarah's team leader. Cecilia tried to vote her out, it failed and backfired, then Rei got a massive stick shoved up her ass and got herself voted out unanimously."

"Are either of you sided with her?" she asked.

"I'm just doing my own thing, voting for whoever I feel," Tyrenee said.

"That would not be good for you in the long run. The first thing an alliance does is vote out the direct opposition, and that would be other alliances. After that, they would go after the independents. I suggest you pick a side before that happens."

"There aren't really sides on this team, though. It's just Sarah and her group. Cecilia's alliance basically fractured when she left."

"Does Isaac not have a side?" Vi asked.

"Well… I guess he's opposed to Sarah, but I was his only ally and I already left him. He's as on his own as everyone else over here, unless he got a new ally."

"If we were to lose this challenge, who would you two vote for?"

"Easy, Sarah," Wyvern said confidently.

"Sarah," Tyrenee agreed.

"Thank you for your feedback, both of you."

* * *

 **Confessional**

 **Vi:** "I cannot say for sure, but with Sarah only having an alliance of three mixed in with the seemingly universal distrust of her, it should be a fairly foregone conclusion that she be eliminated next time we lose. However, I need more information from Sarah – there may be an advantage she has that she is not said to anyone."

 **Tyrenee:** "If I really do want Sarah gone, maybe I _do_ have a use for new girl."

* * *

Kiara was in the clear for a while after the encounter with Chef Hatchet. As she was walking alone, she heard something rustling out of the bushes.

"H-Heeeeey, Kiara!" Seth shouted. "It's me again!"

"A-Are you following me?" she asked nervously.

"Well, Chef got me, so I don't have anything better to do… so I figured, hey, I've got my phone, I might as well help my closest friend with the challenge, right?"

"I guess… how do you plan on helping?"

"Weapons drop!" he shouted. He pushed a button on his phone.

Nothing happened.

"H-Hey, usually it works." He started shaking the phone and then input the command again. Still, nothing happened. "Maybe I've messed up somewhere." He put the phone up to his ear as if he could hear what was wrong with it.

"I'll leave you to that…" Kiara said dully, and started to walk off.

"W-Wait!" he jogged up closer to her. "I wanted to tell you how I feel!"

"I gathered that…" she admitted.

"So will you go out with me after the game's done?" Seth asked hopefully.

"No," Kiara said.

"Oh… why not?"

"Name _one_ good reason why you like me."

"Because you're hot," Seth said innocently.

"See, that's not good enough," Kiara said. "Besides, if you knew _anything_ about me you wouldn't like me anymore," she added. She pulled her hood up and looked at the ground. "I'm a godawful person."

"Come on, what's the worst thing you could've done?" Seth asked. "You've been pretty cool the whole time."

The girl scoffed. "Hardly."

"Name one bad thing you've done," Seth coaxed. "I guarantee you can't."

"I purposely let a guy like _Van_ stay in the game, for one thing," she said. "It wasn't until it affected _me_ that I decided to let him go."

"So?" Seth asked. "I kept him in the game too."

Kiara clenched her fists. "I… _I'm_ the one who stole Paul's idol."

"Oh… well… he's a jerk anyway, so I'm sure it's fine."

"That's not the _point_ ," Kiara said forcefully.

"I mean, what do you want me to do? Tell you how bad of a person you are? I'm sorry, I can't do that," Seth tried to say. He pushed his glasses closer to his face. "And, you know, I won't tell anyone about the idol."

"Good," she said. "Now get out of here, I shouldn't have to _justify_ why I won't go out with you."

* * *

 **Confessional**

 **Seth:** "Ouch … that hurt, but I didn't mind so much. My loyalties still lie with Kiki, even if she won't go out with me!"

 **Kiara:** She punches the side of the outhouse. "Selfish, _selfish_ girl."

* * *

Sarah, Gray, and Aiden were out in a flower field and dense woods some distance away from the starting point. "Yo, Sarah?" Gray started. "Have you ever tried online dating?" she suggested. "It could really work wonders for your love life."

"Have _you_ ever tried online dating?" Sarah questioned.

"Actually, yes!" Gray confirmed.

Sarah gave a slight smirk. "I might've paid money to see how that turned out."

"Not too well, actually. I thought I'd be getting a guy my age… well, he was about my age. He left out the part about being a catfish, though."

"A catfish?" Sarah questioned. "That's completely impossible."

"Oh, we dated hardcore online before we met. I even tried to make it work for about an hour, but it was clear to me the cross-species romance could never actually work."

Aiden scratched his chin. "It's really hard to tell if you're joking, crazy… or if that actually happened."

"It helps that I say it with a straight face," Gray said gleefully.

Gray suddenly tripped over a small rope looped around on the ground, and suddenly found herself dangling from a tree. Sarah and Aiden both jumped backward the dodge her being launched upward.

"Gh!" Sarah grunted. "Is this forest booby-trapped?"

"Look at me!" Gray shouted. "I'm just… 'hanging' around."

"Somehow, I knew you would say that," Sarah said dully. "Your chaos is getting predictable."

"Those words are literally antonyms, lol," Gray said.

"Did you just say 'lol' out loud?" Sarah said. "Gray… I actually hate you right now."

"We should call ourselves the meme team!" Aiden suggested.

Sarah sighed. "Hold on, I'll find a way to cut you down."

"Awww, you really do care!" Gray said wide-eyed.

"No, I just don't want to lose the challenge," Sarah denied. "You're a sitting duck like that."

"I love the playful banter between you two," Aiden said.

"I'm stuck with her," Sarah said. "This is what Stockholm Syndrome looks like."

"I ship it," Aiden shrugged.

"I don't swing that way," Sarah said dully.

"Yo, I'm open for anything," Gray added.

Suddenly, the group heard a twig snap over in one of the bushes nearby. Sarah turned and glanced at the bush. "Someone's here."

"I am unprepared to fight the legions of darkness in the compromising position," Gray said.

She flinched as a paintball fired out and hit her in the chest. "I'm hit!"

Aiden and Sarah were both hit in rapid succession shortly after. Chef Hatchet walked out of the bush grinning. "Gotcha… I knew making that trap was worth it."

"You have defeated me in combat!" Gray shouted. "You know, legally this means I have to join your legion of darkness."

Chef shook his head and started to walk off. Sarah started walking in the opposite direction.

"Where do you think _you're_ going?" Gray said to Sarah.

"Back to camp," she said dully.

"You're not gonna free me?" Gray said.

Sarah shook her head.

"Come on, you can't leave me. What if I get eaten by a bear?" Gray shouted. "Sarah? Sarah? Sarah? Sarahsarahsarahsaaaaaraaaah? You know you won't be able to live with yourself if I die."

She was already gone.

Gray turned her head toward Aiden. "Can _you_ cut me down?"

"I don't know how," Aiden said.

"Ugh."

* * *

 **Confessional**

 **Sarah:** "I think Gray underestimates how little of a conscience I have."

 **Gray:** "I'm dead. I'm dead and Sarah killed me. Welp, time to haunt her ass. Wish me luck."

* * *

"Listen, my man!" Antony shouted as he and Oregon walked together through the woods. "We're going to go places, you and I!"

"Dude, whatever," Oregon said sarcastically. "Just keep your voice down, man. I don't want Chef to shoot me, yeah?"

"We can take him," Antony said confidently.

Eventually, the group came across a cliff face with a cave opening into it. Oregon leaned forward and took a peek at the darkness inside. "This is interesting," he observed. "Think this would be a good hiding spot?"

"Only cowards hide," Antony responded. "But you know what I think? I think a _gun_ might be hidden in there!"

"I guess this could be a good spot to hide one," Oregon considered.

Antony ran head first into the cave and shouted, "dibs!"

* * *

 **Confessional**

 **Oregon:** "Man, how did I get stuck with Antony?"

 **Antony:** "If I get that paintball gun, I can get all like 'pew pew pew' and the other team will be all like 'oh noes!' and then I'll be badass, hell yeah!"

* * *

Kiara and Seth walked together in silence. Seth kept his distance from the girl, walking behind her with his hands in his pockets.

"So we're cool right?" Seth called out. "I mean, we're still like… not enemies? You don't want to vote me out."

"No," she said curtly.

"No to being cool or to not being enemies?" Seth tried to clarify.

"I won't vote you out," she assured.

Eventually, the two of them came across Gray hanging from a tree and a rope with Aiden sitting on a rock. Both of them had paint on them.

"What have we here… having trouble with the challenge?" Seth teased.

"You're on to talk," Gray said, pointing out the paint on Seth, who gave a slight frown. "So, either of you two wanna help me out?"

"I don't help the other team," Kiara decided. She looked around the area. "If Chef has already been here… he's not likely to come back."

"Good observation!" Seth complimented.

"While we're here, you might as well hear some of my _killer_ jokes!" Gray said. "Yo, is your refrigerator running?"

"How should I know, I'm not home," Kiara said dully.

"Well you better go catch it!" Gray laughed.

Seth gave a slight chuckle. "Hey, that's pretty good."

"Hey hey, let's play charades!" Gray suggested. "What game am I?"

"I don't know," Seth said.

"Hanged man!" Gray shouted. She quickly moved on to her next joke, firing them one after another "Anyway, so I still miss my boyfriend."

" - But my aim is getting better," Seth finished with a smile.

"But I aim is getting better!" Gray repeated.

Kiara gave a slight frown. "If I cut you down, will you _stop?_ "

"Probably not," Gray said earnestly.

"She's usually like this," Aiden chimed in.

"For the record, I did actually have a boyfriend. He was a catfish. I called him Catfish Jenkins. He might've been the love of my life had he not been a catfish and therefore mute."

"...What?" Kiara hesitated.

"I'm confused," Seth added. "You dated a catfish? How did that happen."

"The wonders of online dating," Gray confessed. "Anyway, the blood is kinda rushing to my head. Seriously, I think I might die."

Kiara took a rock that had a sort of sharp edge to it and walked next to Gray. It was quickly that Kiara realized that Gray was far taller than her, and was off the ground enough to where she couldn't reach the rope to cut her down anyway.

"I-I'm too short..." she mumbled.

"All three of you are too short!" Gray shouted. "I'm in the company of _midgets!"_

"So do you mind if we stay here?" Seth asked.

"Well I can't exactly stop you," Gray admitted. "And as much as I'd find it amazing for Aiden to defend us… that's not happening."

Aiden nodded in agreement.

Seth sat down on the ground. "All right."

* * *

 **Confessional**

 **Aiden** : "Gray's pretty funny," Aiden said. "I wish I were as confident as she is!"

 **Gray** : "See, if we pull up a chart comparing the height of my team compared to theirs, we would see a gross average height disparity," she states matter-of-factly. She taps her chin. "Vi brought down the average, so I may have to recalibrate my rankings."

* * *

The cameras cut to Isaac and Ayane walking near the edge of the woods, zooming in on Isaac gazing into the forest with suspicion.

"Did you see that?" Isaac asked her.

"S-See what?" Ayane asked nervously.

"I swear… I saw something moving out there," he said.

"Do you think it could be Chef?" she asked weakly.

"Or a mooooonster!' Isaac laughed. "Lean forward… do you see that out there? It looks like some sort of _mutant!_ "

"I-I can't see it…" she said. She tried leaning forward more.

Isaac suddenly grabbed her shoulders from behind. "Boo!" he shouted.

Ayane jumped backward. "I-Isaac, y-you scared me!" she shouted. "I-I thought there was something out there!"

" _Heheheeeeeeh!"_ he snorted. "That was the point, kiddo. Man, you got a good reaction, though. You shoulda seen the look on your face. _Priceless_."

Ayane huffed. "That was really mean!"

"Suck it up, buttercup," Isaac mocked. "Come on, now. We got a challenge to win," Isaac said. He looked up at the sky. "Clouds are coverin' up the moon… it's gettin' _real_ dark."

"I-I don't like this, anymore."

* * *

 **Confessional**

 **Isaac:** "Alone in the middle of the night with a girl? What better thing to do than scare her half to death, _heheheeeeeeh!"_

* * *

At the edge of the cave where the light was just about to fade out, Antony found a paintball gun sitting on a pedestal. Antony quickly swiped off of the spot.

"Oh, hell yeah!" she shouted.

"Nice, now we can start hunting the other – ow!" Oregon shouted. He got hit in the arm by a paintball from Antony. "What was that for, dude?"

"Sorry, man!" Antony shouted as he started scrambling away. "I can't have anybody holding me back on the hunt! This is a solo quest!"

* * *

"I trust you how valuable winning this challenge would be for this team," Seamus said as he walked with Ryan. "We _cannot_ afford another loss right now."

"I'm sure we won't," Ryan said. "We're down four whole members, no team could possibly lose so many challenges in a row."

"As long as we work together, victory is inevitable!"

"Still… there needs to be a plan in case we _do_ lose."

"Hmmm… what would you suggest?" Seamus asked.

"Well, you see… I don't think _Paul's_ done enough in challenges or at camp. Then there's his dismissive attitude…"

"You expect me to betray my own ally?" Seamus asked indignantly.

"Well, who _do_ you plan on voting out, then?" Ryan asked.

"Seth, of course!" Seamus answered. "I cannot abide by cheating and he has stayed on this team long enough."

"Well, I'm just saying. You're on the losing side, my friend. I know Seth will vote however Kiara votes, and I know Andrew voted against Vi last time. With me, that's four and enough."

"Why are you telling me this?" Seamus questioned.

"I'm trying to get you to see you're cornered. To see that this path leads nowhere."

"I will not betray my morals!" Seamus shouted.

* * *

 **Confessional**

 **Seamus:** "Where is this coming from? Ryan openly asking me to _betray_ my allies? Unthinkable!" he states firmly. "I will remain loyal to those who chose to stand by me against Van!"

 **Ryan:** "This team has dwindling numbers, and… I don't know if I can stay neutral for much longer. If I take a side, I'm much better of with Kiara's gang than the _morality police._ "

* * *

After a while, it got darker still while Tyrenee, Vi, and Wyvern continued walking up toward a small clearing in the woods.

"I-It's getting really dark," Wyvern said.

"As much as I'd like to keep going, I agree with Wyvern. It's getting a little too dark to keep going forward," Tyrenee said. "I think we should set up camp here."

"I suppose it would be unwise to continue further with impaired vision," Vi admitted. "I believe we are a significant distance from the start, anyway. We should be safe here."

"I'll get a fire ready," Wyvern decided.

"I believe that would be a bad idea," Vi considered. "Chef Hatchet would easily be able to track us if we were to make a fire."

"So we just sit here… in the dark?" Wyvern questioned.

"It's either that or keep walking," Tyrenee said. "Wish I knew where Chef was right now, though."

"It's really cold," Wyvern said.

Vi took a seat leaning against a nearby tree, and the other two members joined beside her.

* * *

The group of Gray, Aiden, Kiara, and Seth were still hanging out by the tree where Gray was hanging. Aiden observed the darkness closing in. "Man, it's really getting dark out there, huh?" he said.

"Oh, check this out, guys!" Seth said proudly. He pushed buttons on the phone, and it turned into a flashlight. "Darkness is no match for the Seth!"

"Cool beans," Gray shrugged. "What's short stuff over there pouting about?" Gray directed over to Kiara, leaning against a tree far from the rest of the group looking sullen.

"I don't know," Seth shrugged. "I think Kiki needs a friend."

"Oh, I'm a good friend-maker!" Gray said. "Hey, little girl! Wanna be besties?!"

Seth shined his phone on Kiara expecting a response. She remained silent, but the two of them noticed her head was buried in her arms.

Gray backpedaled. "This seems like something I shouldn't interfere with, so I'm gonna back off now."

* * *

Antony prowled through the forest holding his paintball gun, eventually coming closer to a faint light glowing in the distance. He stalked through the brush and bushes, and peered out into an area looking at a gathering of four people, one of which was hanging from a rope in a tree upside-down. He recognized two of them as Aiden and Gray, but the other two he knew were not of his team. He grinned cockily and stuck his gun out of the bush and aimed first at the male, then fired, then quickly took out the smaller girl with him.

Antony jumped out of the bush and stuck a triumphant pose. "You've been _blasted_ by the mighty Antony Quintin!" he boasted. "Tremble, weaklings!"

Seth dusted himself off. "Ugh, I've been shot twice."

Kiara clenched her fists and stormed off.

"Way to go Antony," Gray congratulated. "You got a paintball gun!"

"Naturally," he nodded. "Did you expect any less of me?" he asked.

"Actually, yes," Gray said bluntly.

"Here, let me get you down from there," Antony said. He grabbed to sharpened rock Kiara dropped from her failed attempt to help Gray, and used it to cut the rope. Gray was dropped on her head and slumped on the ground. "Sorry about that," he said sheepishly.

"It's alright," Gray said as she rubbed her forehead. "It wouldn't be the first time I was dropped on my head."

"That explains a lot," Seth butted in.

* * *

 **Confessional**

 **Antony:** "Who's the most valuable member of my team? That's right! Me!" he shouts. "Hell yeah!"

 **Gray:** "Hey, hey! What do you call a cow with no legs? That's right, ground beef!" she jokes enthusiastically. "Get it? Because a cow with no legs can't stand!"

 **Aiden:** I knew Antony would be a good member of the team!" he gushes. "I'm so proud!"

* * *

Sarah was sitting outside the Screaming Eagle's shelter snacking on some nuts when Oregon came up with a splotch of paint on his arm looking a bit frustrated.

"What happened to you?" Sarah questioned him. "Chef get you?"

"Antony shot me," he said bitterly. "He got the paintball gun, then turned on me saying I'd hold him back."

"Tell me he's not _that_ stupid," she said coldly. "If he thought you'd drag him down, he could've just left you behind, not stab our team in the back."

"You'd have to ask him," Oregon told her. "All I know is that if we lose this challenge, I'm voting for _him_."

"Understandable," Sarah nodded.

Soon after, they were Aiden and Gray who were both marked with paintballs. "Hey guys!" Aiden waved.

Sarah hardly acknowledged him and turned her attention to Gray. "I see you managed to get free."

"Yeah, no thanks to you," she replied.

"Meh, you deserved it," she shrugged. "Did you hear what happened to Oregon?"

"No, what happened to you?" Gray asked.

"Antony," he said. "He went rogue and shot me."

"Antony?" Gray repeated. "We ran into that meathead just a few minutes ago. He ended up taking out one of the Bears. He tried to get another, but he was already out."

"What an oaf," Sarah said. "I think the four of us have a vested interested in getting rid of him." She turned to Aiden. "What do you say?"

"I-I mean, I think he's a strong guy… but if he's backstabbing people… I guess…"

"We're still in a sticky situation," Gray reminded them. "Tyrenee, Isaac, Ayane, and Wyvern aren't exactly your best friends. It wouldn't exactly surprise me if they were all plotting against you right now."

"Yeah, thanks for reminding me," Sarah said sarcastically. "We need Vi to take our side. If she's smart, and it seems like she is, she'll know that keeping Antony around can only be bad in the long run."

* * *

 **Confessional**

 **Sarah:** "Remind me to thank Antony for his stupidity, Oregon being turned against him might be the best news I've heard all day. It'll only be a matter of time before this team is in the palm of my hand."

 **Oregon:** "Sarah's like a shark taking advantage of the situation, but whatever helps me get rid of Antony, I guess."

* * *

Diana jogged out of the woods and into a large clearing and observed a large wall in their way. Paul followed closely behind and took notice. "We're back at _camp_?" he exclaimed.

"Well, if we're going to stay anywhere, what better place?" Diana considered. She started walking through the large gateway back into their campsite. "I don't think Chef will think to look here."

Paul rolled his eyes and followed her into the shelter, and they found Andrew waiting for them in the shelter. They noticed he'd already been shot.

"What are you doing here?" Paul asked.

"I don't have anything better to do," Andrew answered simply. "I've already been eliminated."

"Do you know how many of us are left?" Diana asked.

"I know Seth got shot, but I think Kiara got away. Seth ended up following her, but I couldn't find where they went."

"So that's at least two of us out…" Paul said slowly.

"At least five are still out there, including us," Diana said. "We might still win this."

* * *

"Dang, it's gettin' dark," Isaac complained. "I can't see a thing."

"Maybe we should take a break?" Ayane suggested. "I mean… if it's getting too dark -"

Isaac cut her off. "No way, we gotta keep movin'. I'm not getting caught by that psycho Chef. He might hang us by our toes or something."

A moment of time passed before Ayane said, "you don't really think he'd do something like that, do you?" Ayane was clearly nervous.

"I don't know, maybe?" Isaac said dismissively. "Who knows what he gets up to in his alone time."

Isaac suddenly jumped in place.

"What was that?" Ayane asked.

"I think I heard something," Isaac said. "In the bush over there."

Ayane huffed. "You can't fool me again!" he said indignantly.

"I'm _serious_ this time," He said. He peered carefully in the bush, and saw a gun barrel sticking out. "DUCK!" he shouted suddenly.

Isaac quickly crouched down and dodged the paintball, but it moved passed him and hit Ayane. The second round came and hit him anyway. "Dang it," he muttered.

"Heheheh, looks like I got a bunch of suckers," Chef Hatchet gloated as he came out of the bushes.

"Man, whatever," Isaac dismissed.

* * *

 **Confessional**

 **Ayane:** "Oh… I hope the others are doing better than us…"

* * *

Ryan and Seamus continued through the woods during the night. "This dark is no match for me," Seamus boasted. "I have eyes adjusted for practicing sports during the _night_. This is nothing!"

"Speak for yourself dude, I'm just following you as a guide… I can't see a thing," Ryan responded.

"Come now, friend. We have a challenge to win."

"Ouch," Ryan muttered. He swatted at his jacket.

"What happened."

"I think a bug _bit_ me," Ryan said. "It… it damaged my skin!"

Seamus leaned in closer to take a good look at the spot Ryan was talking about, which was located on the back of his arm. "It's red… it looks like you're bleeding," Seamus observed.

"Mosquito?" Ryan asked.

Seamus dabbed his finger in it and brought it up to his nose to smell it.

"Gross," Ryan said. "You're smelling my blood."

"Actually," Seamus frowned. "It smells… like paint!" Seamus immediately grabbed Ryan by the hand. "We're being attacked!"

Ryan tried to wrest himself loose. "I'm already hit dude, just leave me behind."

"No man left behind!" Seamus decided. "Team honor!"

Ryan and Seamus quickly ran off screen, and Antony was shown to be their attacker, trailer close behind after them. "I'm on the hunt!" he yelled. "Hell yeah!"

* * *

 **Confessional**

 **Antony:** He sniffs the air. "Smell that? It smells like _victory"_

* * *

The cameras cut to the group of Vi, Tyrenee, and Wyvern sitting together as a group in the dark. "This isn't just _regular_ darkness," Wyvern began. "This is advanced darkness."

"You've been watching too much television," Tyrenee said dryly.

"Hey, you got the reference," Wyvern said. "That's half the battle."

"I would recommend keeping your voices down," Vi suggested quietly. "It would be optimal to keep noise to a minimum if we are to remain hidden."

"Right…" Tyrenee whispered. "Sorry."

* * *

Antony continued to chase Seamus and Ryan through the forest, and after a long time of running they lead him to the Killer Bear's camp. The two of them managed to first run through the walls, and then inside of the shelter.

Antony managed to corner them on the shelter's outside. "Come out! I've got you cornered!"

Nobody responded back, and the cameras cut to the scene within the shelter.

"You lead him right to us!" Paul said softly.

"I didn't think anyone would _be_ here," Ryan defended.

"Okay…" Diana inhaled deeply. "You two need to surrender and hope that he doesn't search in here."

"Diana is right," Andrew told him. "It would be best for you to surrender for this, in case he decides not to search the cabin."

"Surrender?" Seamus asked. "That… isn't honorable."

"Come on, dude," Ryan tried to reason. "It's better than all _three_ of you getting shot."

"You've got on the count of three!" Antony shouted from outside. " _Three_ …"

"Okay, okay," Seamus relented. He slowly climbed out of the shelter as Ryan followed him. "I surrender," he said dejectedly.

"Hell yeah!" Antony gloated.

"Drop the weapon," a gruff voice said. The camera zoomed out to show Chef Hatchet pointing a paintball gun at Antony as Antony was pointing his at Seamus. "Drop it or I shoot…"

"Come on! Shoot them, not me!"

Antony pulled the trigger on his paintball gun. "Oops, finger slipped," he shrugged. A mere few seconds after, Antony was hit by a paintball gun from Chef Hatchet.

Antony shrugged. "I served my purpose," he said. "Heeeey, since I still got a gun… can I still hunt even if I'm out of the challenge?"

"Rules are… ambiguous," Chef hesitated. "I say it's good."

"Hell yeah!" he charged into the shelter. "Heeeeeere's Antony!" he shouted. He fired first at Paul, then Diana. Paul he managed to hit, but Diana rolled to her right and she missed. She charged at Antony and grabbed at the gun. The gun discharged twice, but both shots only ended up hitting the wall. She managed to slip out of the shelter, but she only made it so far before she got shot by Chef.

The intercom all across the island came to life. "And the Screaming Eagles win yet another challenge!" Chris announced. "Killer Bears… you've got a date with the elimination ceremony tonight, though by now you should probably be used to it. As for the rest of you… good night."

* * *

 **Confessional**

 **Diana:** "I _tried_ to get away, but with two people after me the odds were stacked against me. At least it's better to have been shot by Chef than whoever that guy was."

 **Antony:** "I singlehandedly won us the challenge! Hell yeah!"

 **Andrew:** "This is a… regretful turn of events. If things go to play, Paul should be the one voted out. All this depends on Ryan, however."

* * *

Eventually, all of the Killer Bears made it back to camp. Andrew got Ryan alone and managed to talk to him. "Listen," he told him. "Would you be willing to vote for Paul tonight."

"Of course," Ryan said.

"Honest?" Andrew coaxed. "All it takes is your vote to get him out. However, I know you may not be the most reliable vote. You voted for Morrigan, last time."

"That's because she creeped me out," Ryan said. "Now that she's gone, I like Paul the least."

"Very well," Andrew accepted.

"Actually, I might be willing to… throw my hat in your ring," Ryan said. "I feel the need to take a side right about now."

"That's a majority," Andrew said. "That is, if you're honest."

"I am," Ryan assured.

"Good."

* * *

 **Confessional**

 **Andrew:** "I still don't have high hopes for this elimination – Ryan's voting history isn't exactly in my favor. However, if what he tells me is true, then I may not have anything to fear for the rest of the pre-merge."

 **Ryan:** "There's only two ladies left on this team, and they're on opposite alliances. Between Diana and Kiara, I like Kiara better… so I'm on her side."

* * *

Antony came strutting into the Screaming Eagles's camp. "I won us the challenge, I won us the challenge! Hell yeah!"

Oregon was waiting outside the shelter, and Tyrenee was laying outside as usual, trying to go to sleep. "I still haven't forgotten about you _shooting_ me," he told him. "I hope you don't expect to last much longer on this team."

"Piss off, I ain't goin' nowhere. I'm the most valuable, awesomest member of this team!" Antony gloated. "Hell yeah!"

"Yeah, whatever dude," Oregon shrugged. He headed inside the Eagle's shelter. "I'm going to bed, I'm too tired for this."

Tyrenee gave a slight thumbs up as she tried to take a nap.

* * *

The cameras cut back to the Killer Bears. "I guess we're ready to head out," Diana told her team. "We better not let Chris wait any longer, I'm sure we're not in for a fun time with him."

"I'm tired of being called the loser team," Paul agreed.

Seamus crossed his arms. "We'll just have to win the next challenge!" he said confidently.

"I don't know if we can…" Seth said dejectedly. "I can't even cheat with my phone anymore, I can't get it to work." He pushed several buttons in, but nothing happened. "See?"

"Maybe you're doing it wrong," Diana said.

Seth scratched his head. "I don't think so."

"It's your punishment for cheating!" Seamus announced.

* * *

 **Confessional**

 **Seamus:** "Deepest apologies to Seth, but I must vote for him tonight. I cannot abide by his cheating ways any longer!

* * *

On the way to the elimination ceremony, Andrew got Kiara alone to talk about the vote. "I talked to Ryan. He _says_ he'll vote for Paul tonight."

"O-Okay," she nodded.

"If everything goes to plan, we'll be left on top," Andrew told her. "Between you, myself, Seth, and Ryan this vote should be rather simple."

"Depending on Ryan, right," Kiara said slowly.

"I'm mildly confident he's telling me the truth," Andrew told her.

* * *

 **Confessional**

 **Kiara** : She sighs deeply. "I know what I need to do tonight."

* * *

"Welcome Team Loser!" Chris greeted the Killer Bears. "That's my new name for you guys, considering you're going down to _six_ people tonight. I'd tell you to pick it up… but I don't really think you have it in you guys anymore."

"We may not be doing well, but as long as we have each other -" Seamus tried to say, but Paul interrupted him.

"Shut up, idiot. Nobody cares anymore."

"Take it _easy_ Paul," Diana said sternly. "He's trying his best to keep us together."

"Whatever," Paul shrugged. "Just get on with the elimination, I want to go to bed and end this nightmare of a day."

"Tonight, a team of seven… will turn into a team of six," Chris began. "Alright, let's get this party started, you all know the drill. Vote for whoever you want to board the Boat of Losers and be forcibly removed from this team."

* * *

 **Confessional**

 **Seamus:** "Things aren't looking good," Seamus said. "Ryan said he'd be voting for Paul, _my_ ally." A moment passed after Seamus considered something. "Though maybe losing Paul may not be such a bad thing…"

* * *

"Alright Team Loser," Chris began as everyone returned from voting. He had with him a plate of six marshmallows in his hand, and Chef stood behind him. "You guys should be _very_ used to this by now, but whoever does not receive a marshmallow will be hereby eliminated and you must board the Boat of Losers and join the other failures at the Playa Des Losers, and lose any hope you had of winning a million dollars from this game."

"Unless you return," Paul pointed out.

"Even then, odds aren't in your favor," Chris pointed out. "Returnees never win."

Paul rolled his eyes, "just get on with it so I can go to bed."

"Okay, I'll 'get on with it' then," Chris said. "The first marshmallow of tonight goes to… Diana," he said. He tossed the girl the marshmallow and she caught it.

"Thanks Chris," she said as she popped the confection into her mouth.

"Andrew is also safe," the host continued.

He caught the marshmallow and nodded simply.

"Seamus and Ryan are both safe," Chris announced.

Ryan's marshmallow bounced of Ryan's head, and landed in his hand as he looked a bit sleepy. "Right," he said tiredly.

"For the team!" Seamus announced as he caught his marshmallow.

"Finally, the last person to receive no votes against her is Kiara," Chris said. He tossed the girl the marshmallow and she caught it gladly. "Paul and Seth, one of the two of you will be heading home tonight," Chris said.

Seth sat on his seat looking nervous, and Paul remained stiff and confident.

"With four votes against him, the final marshmallow of tonight goes to… Paul," Chris finished. Seth looked dejected. "Seth, there are no marshmallows left. Which means you've been eliminated.

Andrew turned to Ryan. "I thought you said you'd vote for _Paul_ ," he hissed.

"What? I did!" Ryan shouted. "I don't know what happened.

Chef Hatchet grabbed Seth by the arm and began taking him away. "Kiara! My love! I'll never forget youuuuu!" he called as he was taken to the Boat of Losers.

"I'm sorry, Seth," she whispered to herself. "You knew too much."

Andrew heard her, however. "We'll talk about this later," he said sternly.

* * *

 **Confessional – Voting**

 **Kiara:** "I shouldn't have said anything to Seth, now I need to vote him out to shut him up. I know he said he wouldn't tell, but can I trust that? I don't think so… I'm sorry… I'msorryI'msorryI'msorry!"

 **Andrew:** "I vote for Paul, in the hopes that Ryan will do the same."

 **Seth:** "Hey hey, I guess we're voting for Paul."

 **Seamus:** "Goodbye, cheater!"

 **Ryan:** "I vote for Seth. Here's hoping Andrew trusts me more after this." He pauses for a second. "You know, this team is really lacking in babes right now."

* * *

"The Killer Bears are going downhill fast," Chris began as the outro came on. "Will they be able to catch up to the Screaming Eagles? Probably not, but it is _really_ entertaining to watch this team crash and burn. Tune in next time for an epic murder mystery, on Total! Drama! Nightmaaaaare at Pahkitew Island!"

* * *

The cameras settled on Seth as he was riding the Boat of Losers. "Maaan, I was really hoping not the be useless for my team. It kinda hurts bad to be eliminated so early, but I guess I didn't come in last… so there's that. Anyway, I hope I get to see Kiki here soon… I mean, I don't hope she loses, I just want to be able to see her again. I mean, I hope she wins, but if she loses that's okay too. Wait, c-can we just edit that out?"

* * *

 _AN: This elimination probably came to be more of a surprise. The writing on the wall was that Paul would be the one being eliminated, but in the end Kiara betrayed possibly her most loyal ally. Will that end up biting her in the butt in the long run? Only time will tell, but for now Seth rests at seventeenth place. With him, I wanted to do something different with the cheating player plotline that seems to be somewhat common. He wasn't arrogant or selfish about it, he just wanted to feel useful and impress his teammates. Unfortunately, he ended up with the vehemently anti-cheating Seamus and that was one thing that contributed to his elimination. Until next time…_

* * *

 **Screaming Eagles**

Sarah: The StratBot

Ayane: The Shy Girl

Aiden: The Weakling

Wyvern: The Tourist

 _Cecilia: The Child Prodigy [22_ _nd_ _]_

Gray: The Nutcase

 _Rei: The Aggressive Genius [20_ _th]_

Tyrenee: The Loner

Isaac: The Trailer King

Antony: The Self-Glorious

Oregon: The Adventurer

Vi: The Stoic

 **Killer Bears**

 _Van: The Cutthroat [19_ _th_ _]_

Diana: The Country Girl

 _Seth: The Hacker [17th]_

 _Mili: The Desperate Foreigner [21_ _st_ _]_

Ryan: The Vanity Magnet

Paul: The Sarcastic One

Kiara: The Socially Anxious

 _Morrigan: The Creepy Girl [18_ _th_ _]_

Andrew: The Rich Heir

Seamus: The Student Athlete


	7. Episode 7 - Murder Mystery Theatre

_AN: Sorry this chapter took sooooo long. I was burned out on Total Drama for a while, but I won't let this fic die. Not in a million years. I'll be writing this from my grave, yep. Anyway, we finally get to the Murder Mystery challenge in this chapter. Yay…?_

* * *

 **Screaming Eagles:** Isaac, Sarah, Gray, Wyvern, Ayane, Tyrenee, Antony, Oregon, Aiden, Vi.

 **Killer Bears:** Andrew, Kiara, Diana, Seamus, Ryan, Paul.

* * *

"Last time on Total Drama, the contestants faced off against one of their scariest foes yet – _Chef Hatchet._ They experienced the thrill of being hunted by our monstrous cook in the dark of night, fearing for their lives."

"The teens had to deal with dwindling numbers – a feeling the Killer Bears are well used to by now – as Chef Hatchet hunted them down, taking them out of the challenge on by one. In the end, the Screaming Eagles ended up taking the win once again after previously having the first elimination of the season. Lines were drawn for the Eagles as Vi is left in a position to choose which side she would join. On the other hand, Antony may have won his team the challenge, but he earned himself no allies when he _shot_ a member of his own team because of his own ego."

"Things were just as tense for the Bears. It was looking like Paul's elimination was inevitable, with Andrew, Ryan, Kiara, and Seth all stacked up against his alliance, but in a twist surprising even _me_ , Kiara betrayed her own stalker – I mean lover, and sent him to the Playa Des Losers. How will Andrew react to her betrayal? Find out right here on Total! Drama! Nightmare at Pahkitew Island!"

* * *

(Opening Theme)

* * *

Kiara met Andrew behind the team's shelter so that they could talk privately, keeping their voices so the others couldn't hear them. "Explain why you voted for Seth," Andrew demanded

"I-I can't tell you," Kiara struggled. "I just can't."

"And why can't you tell me?" Andrew coaxed.

"I just... _can't_ ," Kiara repeated.

"See, this sort of thing makes it hard to trust you," Andrew said sternly. "And now you've got us in a bad position. We can at most _tie_ the vote, assuming Ryan even _wants_ to stay with us anymore."

"I'm not _incompetent,_ I know what I'm doing. I-I can fix this," she said.

"By all means," Andrew said sarcastically.

"Right…" Kiara said awkwardly. She put her hands up to her chin. "Right, right, right… Okay, Paul's not the most likable person. I think… I think I might be able to twist Diana's arm into voting for him. That is, if it comes to it."

"What about Seamus?"

"He wouldn't betray an ally even if it killed him," Kiara said. "Diana could at least be pushed if I appealed to her morality. Drag Paul through the mud a little."

"Would she listen to you?" Andrew asked.

"… I think so. She has enough faith in others to hear me out… no matter _what_ she might have heard from Vi."

"And what did she talk to Vi about?" Andrew continued.

"Honestly, I've got no idea what that little weirdo tried to say about me behind my back. Regardless, I don't think Diana fully believed her."

Ryan suddenly popped around the corner. "Hey, yo. What're you two lovebirds talking about?"

Kiara shook her head. "I-I'm sorry about what happened, Ryan," she said shyly. "Something… came up and Seth had to go. I-I hope you'd still side with us."

"I've not got much choice, now," he frowned. "Seamus is going to want my head."

"What did you do?" Andrew asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I may have suggested he betray Paul… he didn't take it well," Ryan told him. "Interesting man."

"So… we're still okay then?" Andrew said wearily.

"Why wouldn't we be?" Ryan responded.

Andrew gave him a curt nod, then turned back to Kiara. "Listen, this one conversation has told me enough about you to know that you're a smart girl… but you need to stop acting on these impulsive… paranoid delusions you might be having. Get a strategy and stick to it," he told her."

"R-Right," she said awkwardly.

"I guess I'm along for the ride," Ryan agreed.

* * *

 **Confessional**

 **Andrew:** "I think I have a better understanding of Kiara's character, now. For such a paranoid, nervous person, she's playing decently enough. If I could just get her to focus more on strategy than personal whims, she could make a great right-hand-man." A good ten seconds of awkward silence passed before he continued. "I object to Ryan's comment, as well. I've seen what happened to her _last_ 'boyfriend'."

 **Kiara:** "Andrew's… right. I need to let go of these obstacles like my family history and my secrets, and formulate a long-term plan to stick to. I've played backseat to people bigger than me long enough, now it's _my_ turn to be in control!"

* * *

"Hear that?" Paul scoffed while inside the shelter with Diana and Seamus. "They're out there _conspiring_ against us. We need to figure out who we're gonna vote out next."

"Ryan tried to convince me to betray you guys!" Seamus shouted. "Does he not know the value of honor?"

"Stupid suggestion, I was thinking of someone who's a bit more of a threat," Paul said with a smirk, "like Andrew."

"Andrew's done nothing wrong, though!" Seamus objected.

"Guys, guys," Diana said, trying to calm them down. "I don't think this team can function when we're so divided. I think we should just… stop having alliances and make decisions as a team."

"Yes, I agree with this!" Seamus nodded.

"So one second you're talking about _not_ betraying me, then the next agreeing to quit the alliance?" Paul scoffed. "Hypocrite much?"

"It's hardly betrayal, more like a mutual agreement to cooperate more with the rest of the team," Diana said. "Either way, we can't keep losing like this. There's only _six_ of us now."

"Yeah, whatever. Go play your naive friendship happiness love fest game or whatever you call it," Paul dismissed. "Just don't come crying back to me when it bites you two in the ass." Paul laid down on the ground and shut his eyes. "I'm going to sleep, screw both of you."

* * *

 **Confessional**

 **Diana:** "I came to the conclusion after the elimination ceremony tonight. Something's broken with this team, and I suspect our divisiveness has something to do with it. I have to get them to get along if I don't want to keep losing…"

 **Seamus:** "I cannot abide by treachery! I must appeal to everyone's sense of loyalty and vote out Ryan!"

* * *

Vi wandered the depths of the forest just outside the Screaming Eagles camp at night, holding out a torch taken from the team fire for light and examining the forest floor.

* * *

 **Confessional**

 **Vi:** "Precedence states that Chris never puts out more effort than required… it would then stand to logical reason that the two hiding places for the immunity idol would be in similar locations at both camps, in this case under a pile of rocks. Paul stated that it was easy to find, so ideally I should be able to find it long before morning."

* * *

The stoic came across a pile of rocks stacked precariously on top of each other as if attempting to conceal something. She took her feet and gently moved each rock out of place, revealing a wooden carving of the host's head buried beneath. She quickly turned and looked behind her to ensure nobody was looking, then kicked all the rocks to the side.

Vi crouched down to the grown and made a shallow hole in the ground in the place the rocks were, placed the idol inside, and proceeded to bury it. She then brushed the ground to give it the appearance of being undisturbed. "For later," she said softly.

* * *

When Vi walked back to the team's cliffside shelter, she found Tyrenee sitting on the grass just outside waiting on her to return. She sniffed. "I noticed you were missing. And _where_ have you been," she said with her eyes narrowed.

"Searching for the idol, of course," she said earnestly.

Tyrenee was taken aback by the girl's honesty. "And did you find it?" she asked coldly.

Vi took a couple seconds to think. "…Yes," she said eventually. "But it would be in our best interest to keep this a secret. The idol would not be very effective against Sarah if she knew about it, yes?"

"… I guess so," she said uncertainly. "So does this mean you're officially taking our side."

"Of course," Vi nodded.

After talking, the two of them snuck back into the shelter and went back to bed for the night.

* * *

 **Confessional**

 **Tyrenee:** "She trusts me enough to tell me about the idol? I guess this really does mean she's taking our side… we definitely have the numbers now, Sarah doesn't stand a chance."

 **Vi:** "Lying about possessing the idol would have risked her not trusting me. This way ensures that she still trusts me and at the same time will not leak the information that I have it. Yes, I have no intention of using it against Sarah – the idol is for my personal use only in the event I find myself in danger or I find a different use for it."

* * *

Morning time eventually came to the island, marked by a loud air horn sounding all across the speakers sending birds scattering into the skies. In the Eagle's shelter, Antony sprung awake and kicked Oregon in the gut in the shock.

"Greetings campers, everyone meet at Hatchet Beach," he announced across the intercom. "It's marked on your maps – and forget about breakfast, you guys _will_ be fed during the next challenge!"

* * *

"We're gonna be fed?" Paul said skeptically as the Bears slowly took in the news after waking up. "Ugh, sounds like an eating challenge."

"Eating challenge?" Andrew sighed. "Then we've already lost. I don't have a strong stomach."

"Nor I!" Ryan agreed.

Diana crossed her arms and looked dejected. " _Great,_ " she said harshly.

* * *

The Screaming Eagles started walking toward the challenge area, making a line through the island's forested area. "Right, so an eating challenge," Tyrenee winced. "I have _not_ been looking forward to this."

"I can eat anythin'" Isaac boasted. "At the trailer, all my food was seasoned with _dirt_."

"All my food _was_ dirt!" Gray countered.

Vi tapped her chin. "I do not believe that would provide sufficient dietary sustenance," she said blankly. "I must conclude that was a lie."

"Well, I wasn't being serious," she said dully, and kicked the ground. "Don't be a killjoy."

"This is stupid," Sarah sighed. "Why would an eating challenge be hosted on a _beach_ though," she said, trying to change the subject.

"Well, I wouldn't put it past Chris to try to make us eat _sand_ ," Tyrenee suggested.

"As true as that is, I seriously doubt that's it," Sarah dismissed. "Regardless, we should all mentally prepare for whatever's coming."

* * *

"Welcome to challenge number six!" Chris greeted as the cast met on the beach. There was a large motorboat parked just behind him, dragged up onto the shore. "Don't worry, I've heard your complaints and we're not doing an eating challenge… today. Instead, we're doing a much, much _funner_ challenge, the rules of which I'll explain to you when we arrive."

"Arrive where?" Ayane trembled.

"At the Playa Des Losers 2.0," the host answered. "You guys are gonna spend the rest of the day – or longer, if things don't go to plan – living in the lap of luxury." Chris gave a quick bout of light laughter. "See? I can be nice sometimes."

"Pardon me if I'm still skeptical," Sarah said.

Chris made a dramatic gesture directing everyone toward the boat. "All aboard"

* * *

 **Confessional**

 **Wyvern:** "I'm glad it's not an eating challenge, but it's not like it'd be difficult for me. After eating every food the world has to offer, there's not much I won't eat," he shrugs.

* * *

The boat arrived at a dock that was connected by a long, winding brick path up to a majestic-looking resort situated on top of a hill in a much smaller island, complete with a pool and tennis court around the grounds. Notably, it was the same resort the cast came from in the first episode.

One by one, each contestant got off the boat and stepped onto the immaculate wooden dock. Antony shoved past Gray. "Hell yeah, check this place out! This is where a _true_ badass deserves to live."

"It's alright, I guess," Oregon said neutrally. "But it's nothing compared to the great outdoors."

"I'll say," Diana agreed. "I'd rather be at camp than back at this stuffy place."

"Speak for yourself," Paul said boredly.

"Alright, everyone," Chris ushered after everyone got out of the boat. "Listen up, get inside the Playa then I'll explain to you the challenge."

* * *

The cast stood back in the lobby of the Playa where the cast was first introduced. Chris prepared to introduce challenge of the episode. "For today, you'll all be participating in an extremely classic game – murder mystery dinner theater!"

"That's cool," Wyvern said. "I've always meant to go to one of those."

"So what's the deal? You're gonna fake a crime and have us solve it?" Paul asked.

"Not quite," Chris corrected. " _You're_ gonna fake a crime. Hidden all across the resort are some nice, safe tranq-balls from Total Drama World Tour. If you get hit with them or… _ingest_ them accidentally, you'll be knocked out and removed from the challenge until the end. As for everyone still awake, it'll be up to them to solve the mystery of your 'murder'. If the 'killer' is caught, the team he or she was on loses. If they get away with it, their team wins. Understand?"

"And the food?" Wyvern pointed out.

"We've got a buffet laid out for you guys, so you can eat to your heart's content. Just be careful, _anyone_ could poison the food with a tranq-ball if they really want to."

"Speaking of which, how many are there hidden?" Vi asked.

"Who knows," Chris shrugged. "It's like an egg hunt."

Andrew quickly interrupted. "Wait just one minute, if we're here, where are the losers?"

"You're _all_ losers," the host said lightly. "But the people who were voted out have been taken care of, I promise."

* * *

The scene shifted to the Killer Bear's camp, where the previously eliminated were. Seth was jogging circles around the shelter as Rei watched with distaste.

"What _are_ you doing?" Rei hissed.

"Exercising," Seth answered. "If I get into shape, then maybe-"

"Cease," she said coldly. "It's bothering me."

"S-Sorry," he said as he quit. He sighed and took a spot in the grass to the right of the shelter and watched Van with Morrigan. He was dumping makeshift barrels onto the ground, and then stomping on the food that came out while muttering angrily to himself.

"I don't think our friends will like that," Morrigan said slowly. " _Huhuhuh_."

"Friends?" Van scoffed. "Yeah, like I care what they think," he said in a sour tone. "They DID this to me, and if I'm gonna be stuck here while they do their challenge or whatever, I'm gonna teach them a lesson. That goes double for that TRAITOR Kiara. She can just _wait_ and see what happens when I get back in the game."

Mili clenched her fists instinctively. " _Castiel!"_

Cecilia peeked out from the cracks in the wooden boards while in the shelter. "What an odd group," she said to herself. She slumped down to the ground and exhaled. "And yet they still ranked better than I did… if I want any chance of redeeming myself, I have to get back in the game."

* * *

"As I was saying," Chris continued. "You're all free to do whatever until someone gets killed. After that, we'll hold a mock trial where we'll determine the winner of the challenge."

* * *

Paul sat holding a plate full of waffles on the sectional couch facing the front window beside Tyrenee. Sarah started going through and pulling each of the cushions off one by one, then putting them back.

"What do you think you're doing?" Paul asked seriously.

"What does it look like?" she answered. "I'm looking for one of those tranquilizer balls."

"What are you, stupid? Why are you doing that in front of everyone?" he demanded. "You know what, whatever. You're not on my team, I don't care." Sarah shoved him off of his seat and sent his food flying, landing on Tyrenee. "Wh-What the hell? Get offa me!"

"You got syrup on me!" Tyrenee snapped. Sarah ignored the both of them and searched the cushion for the ball. She quickly snatched something from the seat. "Aha!"

Sarah took a step back and looked at the blue object. She tossed it up in the air and caught it in the palm of her hand. "Look at that."

"Good job," Tyrenee sighed.

Antony came barreling in from seemingly nowhere and tackled Sarah to the ground. "That's mine!" he shouted as he tried to wrestle it from her hand.

"Knock it ooooff!" Sarah cried. "We're on the same team!"

Antony pulled away and managed to show off the ball. "Hell yeah! I got the _ultimate weapon!_ "

Sarah backed away and scrambled to her feet. "What the flying FUCK is wrong with you?!'

"I'm gonna collect _all_ the balls, that way only ANTONY can win! Hell yeah!" he gloated as he pumped his fists. He then ran off, arms extended like an airplane.

"Fuckin' genius," Sarah muttered to herself.

Tyrenee stood up indignantly. "I'm gonna go clean up."

The intercom crackled. "There's spare clothes in your all's rooms, 'kay?"

* * *

 **Confessional**

 **Paul:** "What a dysfunctional team!" he told the camera. "How do we keep losing to these people?"

 **Sarah:** Her clothes and hair were messed up, and her face was extremely grave. "If Antony wasn't going home before, he is now," she said darkly.

 **Tyrenee:** She appeared in the confessional with a fresh set of clothes. "You know what I think? I think Sarah's a nasty bitch who's gonna get everything she deserves. Oh, and throw that stupid meathead Antony while you're at it too, karma." She winced at her own outrage. "Too harsh?"

* * *

Kiara was waiting for Diana to finish getting sausage patties out of the buffet bar. As she was pouring gravy onto her food, Kiara was searching under the food trays for the tranq-ball.

"Come on, Kiara," Diana said in an encouraging tone. "You don't need one of those." Diana tried pulling Kiara away, but she jerked back.

"Let me go! I need my food!" she cried.

"Oh, sorry," Diana apologized, scratching the back of her head. "I'll let you finish. After that, though, we're gonna sit together. You and I are gonna talk."

"Oh?" Kiara asked, surprised.

* * *

The two girls found themselves spots next to each other on the long dining table after they got their food. Diana folded her hands into an arch on the table. "So… I've been thinking..."

"Y-Yeah?"

"Yeah…" Diana repeated. "This team has been pretty dysfunctional, so I was trying to find a way to get us more… united, you know?" Diana waited for Kiara to respond, but she remained silent. "Well, I was thinking about ending all the alliances on the team and just deciding as a team who to vote out."

"You would do that?" Kiara asked incredulously.

"Well, we can't keep losing, right?" Diana assured. "I'm gonna do whatever it takes to ensure we never lose a challenge again!"

* * *

 **Confessional**

 **Kiara:** "It's intriguing, but perhaps the team would get along better if the alliances were to… disband. Then again, ditching my alliance with Andrew doesn't seem like a good idea either. Maybe I'll just… pretend to drop Andrew," she says, tapping her chin.

* * *

On the other side, Gray leaned back in her chair in ecstasy from the food she was eating. "Dang, this is some good eatin'. Chef Hatchet didn't cook this stuff up, did he?"

"No way," Wyvern replied across from her.

"Nice of Chris to treat us like this," Gray admitted. "Though kindness probably wasn't his intention, it just fit the murder mystery dinner thing. I wish we could eat like this all the time instead of sitting around eating dead fish in our crappy cabin."

"Are fish supposed to be eaten dead anyway?"

Gray just shrugged. "Hey – What?"

Aiden was tugging on Gray's shirt trying to get her attention. She turned to face him. "There's something in the closet!" he said nervously. "I-I just walked past and then it started making noise! I think there's something in there."

The two of them walked over to what was presumably a broom closet behind the dining table. Light was creeping out from beneath, and there was clearly a shadow moving inside. Gray pounded on the door. "Knock knock," she said with an eye roll.

No answer.

Gray turned the doorknob, and slowly turned to door open.

A figure jumped out from inside. "BOO!"

"AUGH!" Aiden screamed in terror. "MONSTER!"

Gray remained straight-faced as Isaac came laughing out of the closet. "Classic, hilarious!" he laughed. "Shoulda seen his face."

"Nobody's allowed to scare Aiden but me," Gray pouted. "What were you even doing in there?"

"Well, I _was_ searching for one of those ball thingies, _heh heh,_ then I had the great idea of scaring the donkey crud outta whoever opened that door."

Aiden slowly opened his eyes and looked into the closet. He saw an oversized, black, hairy spider start slowly crawling out. "S-Spider!" he whimpered.

"Oh, that?" Isaac dismissed. "Yeah, he's friendly… or at least I think it's a he… anyway, point is I was in there the whole time and he didn't -" The giant spider suddenly lept onto his face, sending him tumbling backwards. "AAAUGH, SPIDER!"

Gray grabbed a broom from the closet. "It's okay, I'll get it off," she shouted and she grabbed it by the brush end and started hitting Isaac over the head until the spider jumped off, then continued hitting him for good measure. After it was clear, she shoved her hands into her shirt pockets. "Not so brave now, are you?"

A small trickle of blood ran down Isaac's nose. "You hit _really_ hard."

"Well, I had to make sure the spider would come off," she said. "Sorry about that though."

* * *

 **Confessional**

 **Isaac:** "It wasn't a total waste," he admits to the camera. He pulls out a round, blue ball out of his pocket. "Looks like I got this game in the bag."

* * *

Diana observed the commotion with Kiara and sighed longingly. "I wish we all got along like that team," she admitted. "They seem to have so much fun over there – between all of Van's drama and the distrust we all have, it's hard for us to have fun."

"I think we might just be saner than them," Kiara admitted, but realized now was a good opportunity. "A-Actually, we might be able to take a step in that direction. We could, you know, make everything a little less tense if Paul was gone."

"Paul?" Diana questioned. "Why?"

"I mean, if we're gonna disband alliances, who better than him. All he really does is sit around and complain a lot. Has he really ever helped in a challenge?"

"Have you?" Diana asked pointedly.

"…N-No," Kiara admitted. "B-But at l-least I'm nice." She paused a minute to try to let Diana respond, but when she didn't, she added. "R-Right?"

"Y-Yeah, I guess," Diana said.

* * *

 **Confessional**

 **Diana:** "It's not that I distrust Kiara… it's just after what Vi told me about her, it just makes me a little less confident in her," she said, scratching her arm awkwardly. "I'm sure she's a good person at heart, so it's up to me to keep her on the right path!"

* * *

"So we should try to get to know each other," Diana said. "Come one, what's your home life like? You can tell me."

"I'm just normal," Kiara said. "There's n-nothing special to tell."

"I ain't gonna take that for an answer. No way. You gotta give me all the details," she said. "If you tell me yours, I swear I'll tell you mine. You've gotta open up more to us if you really want us to be friends, yeah?"

Kiara took a deep breath. "I _really_ don't want to talk about it."

"Come on," Diana said, pursing her lips. "We're friends, right? I trust you. You gotta trust me. You trust Andrew, right?"

"What," Kiara asked, confused.

"I heard you guys talking about an alliance from inside the shelter. That's partly what I'm saying here, no more talking about voting people out behind each other's backs. It's an open forum for us." Diana put her hand on Kiara's shoulder. "I also know you voted for Seth last night."

"I betrayed him," Kiara muttered.

"No, I also saw he was making you uncomfortable. It's okay, you can talk to me though. I'm listening," she said honestly.

Kiara sighed. "Okay," she said to herself, trying to psyche herself up. "My parents are… rich. Like, very rich. They've got this… superiority complex too – I was homeschooled because nobody else was 'worthy' of teaching me, and I'm hardly ever let out of the house out of fear that I could be 'corrupted'. Understand?" she said.

"I couldn't imagine never being let outside," Diana said.

Kiara cracked a light smile. "I suppose so."

"Right, well I'm gonna gather up the team and tell them about the alliance breakup," Diana said as she got up and left the table.

* * *

 **Confessional**

 **Kiara:** "It's half-true, I guess. I left out the part about them being ruthless dictators," she said. "The only time I was allowed out was when they wanted to show off the future ruler… and I was never good enough… never charismatic enough… and-and." She bit on her lower lip. "Never mind."

* * *

Antony was in a large, dusty storage room filled with crates. He was running around the room, opening each crate with his bare hands, and dumping the contents on the floor. "Come one, gimme more!" he shouted. He dug through a pile of junk, including a toy train, a Gilded Chris Award, and a paintball gun, and haphazardly tossed them along the ground.

Ayane stood just outside the doorway and peeked in. "W-What's going on in here. I heard a lot of noise…"

"Get out of here, ya nerd!" Antony shouted. "I'm busy being AWESOME, and nobody's allowed to watch right now! Begone with you!"

"S-Sorry," she muttered. She left down the hall.

Antony pulled some out of the crate. "Oooooh, nice!" he said. "A slingshot!"

He acted out pulling the band backward and pretended to shoot a ball. "I've got the perfect weapon!"

* * *

Everyone who was on the Screaming Eagles left the dining table to make room for Diana's meeting. Everyone on the Killer Bears either sat across or beside each other.

"So what's the deal?" Paul said. "Don't tell me you're actually going through with this."

"Yes, I am," Diana said seriously.

"Go through with what?" Andrew asked.

"I've decided to disband our alliance," Diana said. "It's for the better that we all get along with each other. No more of this talking behind each other's backs – we should have an open and honest discussion of who we shall eliminate if we lose."

"I wholeheartedly agree!" Seamus shouted.

"But if we're going forward with this, I'm gonna have to ask the other alliance if they would agree to this. Well, Andrew? Seeing as you're their leader, will you do it?"

Andrew looked to Kiara in confusion, and she mouthed the words, "do it."

"I… agree," he admitted. "I would be willing to end my alliance with Kiara and Ryan. If what you're proposing is true, who would we vote out if we lose?"

"Well, Kiara suggested we vote out Paul for being the least team-friendly, and I think I'm inclined to agree. Paul, I have to ask you defend yourself."

Kiara visibly cringed at being called out.

"What, are you kidding me?" Paul asked. "Are you all _actually_ that stupid? Excuse me, but I'm the smartest person on this team, you need me for the challenges."

Andrew smirked. "Calling us stupid is an interesting defense. Also, it should be said we're losing challenges even with you."

"You'll lose even more _without_ me," Paul asserted.

"Well, I think we should vote out Ryan!" Seamus declared. "How dare he suggest treachery!"

"Well it doesn't matter anymore, there is no treachery," Ryan said as he leaned back in his chair confidently. "We don't have to worry about that."

"We certainly do!" Seamus said. "How can we trust him to remain loyal after the merge?!"

Andrew took a sip of hot chocolate. "That logic is rather backwards. He did it for the sake of my alliance. If he did it then, he's likely to try to encourage a member of the other team into joining us. Correct?"

"Incorrect! Betrayal is immoral no matter what team is doing it!"

"I agree with Seamus, we can't trust Ryan," Paul said quickly. "Let's get rid of Casanova."

"You wouldn't be saying that if it weren't you being targeted," Andrew accused.

"I agree with voting out Paul. He's a little ass anyway," said Ryan.

"I am not!" Paul denied. "I'm just smart about things."

"So you think you're better than us?" Andrew said smoothly.

"I didn't say that!" Paul protested. "Cut me some slack, I had an immunity idol stolen. I mean, it's fair that I be upset at that, right?"

"You had an immunity idol?" Kiara said in fake surprise. "Do-Do you know who stole it?"

"Ugh, I'm not so sure anymore, but I think it was that _traitor_ , Vi," Paul said through his teeth. "I never should have trusted her, you can never tell what she's thinking through her face. Girl has no emotions."

"Yeah, if it wasn't her it was Seamus," Diana said. "Ryan, Andrew, and Kiara are all clear because they didn't even know he had one."

"Or you," Paul accused.

"Or me," Diana sighed. "I didn't include myself because I know I didn't do it. But we shouldn't dwell on it, it'll be even harder to trust each other if we do."

Paul suddenly slammed his fists on the table. "You know what? It _was_ you, wasn't it?" he said, pointing at Diana. "Now that my idol is gone, you're suddenly going after me. It all makes sense."

"Now you're being paranoid," Diana defended. "This is exactly what I was trying to avoid. Besides, you lost it a few days ago, it's not like I went after you immediately."

"Lost it?" Paul quoted. "What do you mean by that?"

"I mean… what if you just don't remember where you put it?"

"I left it in my bag!" Paul shot.

"Maybe you just thought you put it in your bag and put it somewhere else by mistake," Diana said. "I don't wanna believe Seamus or Vi are capable of doing that."

"I suppose my bag just dumped _itself_ out and then the idol grew legs and walked away, right?" Paul said sarcastically.

"Look, we don't have any evidence, so just drop it. You'll never get anywhere," Diana said sternly.

Paul scoffed. "Whatever."

* * *

 **Confessional**

 **Diana:** "Honestly, I ain't thought about Paul's missing idol in a while. I just sort of came to the conclusion he lost it."

 **Paul:** "Great. Just great. Diana just single-handedly screwed me over. I thought that disbanding teams would have just backfired on her, but it all just exploded in _my_ face."

 **Kiara:** "That's another reason I have to vote out Paul. The sooner he's gone, the sooner the drama about the idol ends. At least I'm not on the suspect list," she confesses. "Yet."

 **Andrew:** "I don't know what Kiara did to cause this, and honestly? I don't wanna know. It's nice to see Paul's game just get flushed down the metaphorical toilet, though."

* * *

The cameras cut to the interior of the cabin, where Cecilia was sitting alone. Mili came in through the door to join her.

"Day one… you offer to help me?" Mili said as she entered the shelter.

"Huh?" Cecilia asked. She gave a moment to ponder. "Oh, I suppose I did. You want help with your English?" the scientist asked.

Mili nodded. "Necesito venganza."

"I'll help," Cecilia said. "If you want revenge for something, I'll help you get your point across. That is, in case you return to the game. I have business in there too, you know."

Seth suddenly burst through the front door. "Hey guys!" he shouted. "You need to get out here!"

Mili and Cecilia quickly ran out of the shelter and found a humanoid robot standing outside. It looked worn and dilapidated. I find was attached to its head and run all the way down to the knees, and it was completely covered in rust. It's most noticeable feature was its blood red eyes, however. "You are not authorized to be on Pahkitew Island. Security personnel permitted only. The prison is on lockdown."

"Prison?" Rei hissed, taking angry steps toward the machine. "Does this look like a fucking prison to you?!"

"Scarlett?" it asked. "You are not permitted to be outside your cell."

It pointed its arm straight at Rei and it lit up bright blue. What looked like a blue ball of plasma fired out toward her, but she ducked and it hit the shelter. A shock wave blew everyone backwards and the shelter and all the weapons Seth dropped into the fort were turned to smithereens.

"Oh, the others aren't gonna like that," Seth said awkwardly.

Cecilia grabbed Seth by the collar and started to run in the other direction. " _We're_ not gonna like it if we get killed by that thing!"

* * *

 **Confessional**

 **Cecilia:** "Chris told us at the Playa that two people would be returning after the merge. I'm hoping that it ends up being me, but it's nice to help Mili with her English in case she comes back too," she admitted to the camera. "Also, killer robot. That sucks."

 **Rei:** "Clearly the robot has mistaken me for Scarlett because of our similar intellect. Clearly."

* * *

Gray, Aiden, and Sarah all sat together on the sectional couch, eating their food.

"I thought you were searching for a tranq-ball?" Gray observed. "What made you stop?"

"Antony," she said bitterly. "Even if I find one, what's even going to be the point? He'd probably just take it anyway. Honestly, I'm getting fed up with him. Apparently he shot Oregon in the last challenge, too."

"I heard," Gray said. "We should teach him a lesson. A violent lesson."

"Intriguing suggestion, but no," Sarah said. "Mutual agreement to vote him out?"

Gray nodded.

"He's been trying to vote me out since day one, so I'm okay with that," Aiden said. "It's too bad he's probably the strongest person on the team, though."

"He's also a complete dipshit," Sarah retorted.

* * *

 **Confessional**

 **Sarah:** "I still think I need to get around to voting out Ayane. She _is_ the weakest person on the team and she hardly ever does anything, but I've been getting votes against me and Isaac and Tyrenee are the only people smart enough to pull something like that off. Ideally, next time we lose Antony goes. Then Isaac, then Tyrenee, then Ayane."

* * *

Oregon walked outside toward the pool wearing red swimming trunks. The path around it was lined with red bricks and on the deep end there was a bronze statue of Chris McLean fountain of water coming out of its mouth and landing inside.

"Jeez, only bronze?" Oregon commented. "The budget really has gone down."

"Nice out here, ain't it?" Diana observed as she walked out in a bathing suit. "Goin' for a swim too?"

"That's the idea!" Oregon said as he cannonballed into the clear water. His head popped back out from under the pool. "Water's pretty chilly, but I've had far worse."

Diana took a few steps down the stairs and into the pool. "Yeah, it ain't that bad." She continued to walk down until the water was to her neck. "How are things running with your team?"

"Things could be better," Oregon replied. "We've got a bit of dead weight and a few… unbearable personalities."

"At least you keep winning," Diana said. "We've only got six to your ten."

"It's not as bad as it looks," Oregon shrugged. "Okay, it's pretty bad. But it only happened because you guys just got some bad dice rolls. You've only won one less challenge than we have, after all."

"I suppose you're right," Diana said. She sunk her head below the water.

"You were pretty cool yesterday, you almost caught me in that Capture the Flag challenge," he complimented. "I mean, I conquer tombs for a living and I'm impressed. And you're nice enough too, I guess your team probably relies on you a lot. Probably why you're one of the six people left there."

"Really? Thanks," she nodded. "I suppose I am an asset."

Aiden came out of the resort's door pushing his fingers together. "Um, Sarah told me to tell you to stop fraternizing with the enemy. So stop," he said with force. "I-If that's okay with you, I mean."

"Yeah?" Oregon scoffed, bringing his head to the edge of the pool. "Tell Sarah to shove it."

Aiden saluted. "Okay, I'll tell her."

"W-Wait, on second thought just tell her I respectfully decline."

"Oh, and tell her I said hi!" Diana added lightly.

* * *

 **Confessional**

 **Oregon:** "I really wish Sarah was capable of minding her own business, we've gotta take opportunities like this to bond with the other team. Otherwise it'll turn into an us vs. them game after the merge."

 **Diana:** "I think getting to know Oregon isn't a bad idea. I _think_ he's the strongest person on his team except for… well, Antony. But let's be honest, he ain't long for this world much longer."

* * *

Aiden walked back into where Sarah was on the sectional couch. "Where'd Gray go?" he asked.

"God knows," Sarah said dismissively. She was more focused on looking out the windows toward the pool. "I see Oregon hasn't gotten out with that Bear girl."

"Yeah," Aiden said. "He said you can shove it."

Sarah narrowed her eyes. "Oh, did he now?" She started to stand up in the chair.

Aiden reacted quickly. "Uh, wait. I made a mistake!" he said quickly. "Oopsies, he changed it to 'respectfully denied' or something like that. He took it back, I promise." Aiden made a motion across his chest. "Cross my heart."

"Regardless," Sarah frowned. "The situation must be dealt with."

* * *

The camera cut back to the attic room, where Gray was knocking about a steam trunk that was currently locked. She bit on her lip as she tried to unlock the chest by using a bobby pin on the keyhole, yet it didn't budge. She eccentric girl sighed. "I guess it's time to bring out the big guns!"

* * *

Sarah started pulling up a lawn chair on the poolside as Oregon and Diana watched. "Uh, what're you doing?" Diana asked, confused.

"What does it look like?" she responded with false innocence. "I just want to observe the pool water, take in the smell of fresh chlorine, and maybe listen in and ensure there aren't any illicit love affairs going on."

"You've got the wrong idea, we hardly even know each other," Diana said.

"Seriously, Sarah," Oregon complained. "I came here to have an adventure of a lifetime. To make friends and have fun, I don't need you gamebotting things up right now."

"I'm being pragmatic," Sarah said cooly. "Couples are just like alliances, but even more frustrating to uproot. Besides, you'll find I'm not here to ruin your fun. Indeed, I think everyone would _love_ to share in this moment?"

Oregon's furrowed his brow. "What?"

Sarah pulled a megaphone out from under the chair and held it up to her mouth. "What that?" her voice boomed all across the resort. "Oh, Oregon and Diana think we should have a pool party and everyone's invited? What a great idea!"

"Seriously?" Diana exclaimed. "Not cool."

"If you're really not interested in him, you wouldn't mind some company, right?" Sarah said with an eyebrow lifted. "It's not like I'm ruining a date."

* * *

 **Confessional**

 **Oregon:** "Maybe I'll reconsider voting for Antony," he says. "It's just like Sarah to shove her nose in everyone's business."

* * *

The cameras cut back to what remained of the Bear's camp. Van hid behind the last standing bit of wall from the ruined shelter from the robot, holding a sturdy wooden board. Everyone else had cleared off into the woods.

He peeked around the corner and saw the machine headed his way. "Come here you little roboshit," he taunted. "Get a taste of _this!_ "

"Unauthorized trespasser will be terminated," he stated mechanically.

As soon as it turned the corner, Van hit it in the head with the board, sending the machine tumbling to the ground. "Ha, get rekt."

In one swift motion, the robot got up and grabbed Van by the neck and lifted him off the ground. He started choking and swinging his legs violently until his foot made contact with the robot's chest, pushing it back onto the ground.

Van landed and gasped for air, the spun on his heel and headed for the deep forest.

Seth and Cecilia watched the exchange from the very edge of the forest, crouched down in a bush peering into the camp through the gate in the concrete wall. "How do we compete against, _that?_ " Seth exclaimed nervously. "I-I know, we should call someone!"

"Perhaps you haven't noticed, but we don't have any phones out here," Cecilia observed.

" _I_ do," Seth declared. He pulled out his phone and started trying to dial a number, only the realize it wasn't working. "Darn, no reception. It's useless."

Cecilia quickly snatched the phone out of his hands. "Actually, perhaps not. With this piece of technology, I might be able to rig it to release an electromagnetic pulse. The robot will be fried in no time, and it should be down long enough for us to rip it to pieces."

"Electromagnetic whosenow?" Seth asked.

"An EMP," Cecilia explained. "It'll fry the phone, but it should definitely work against the robot. But… there's something even more interesting. It mentioned Scarlett, yeah? I think she might be being held captive in a cell on the island. This place might be being used as her personal prison. It would also explain why nobody is supposed to be here."

"Oh… that sounds bad." Seth sputtered. "Too bad about my phone though."

* * *

 **Confessional**

 **Cecilia:** "This is just further evidence that I had the smarts to be a real contender if it weren't for my unfortunate elimination."

 **Seth:** "I mean… I love my phone. It's top model, but with my life on the line I guess I gotta make a few sacrifices."

* * *

Most of the cast had joined up at or around the pool as noon started to pass and the day grew slightly overcast. A brief flash of light came from Wyvern taking a photo of the people that were outside the resort.

Sarah and Aiden walked toward Vi outside the pool. Sarah crossed her arms in an aloof fashion. "We're voting out Antony next time we lose. Oregon's in, we only need your vote to guarantee that he leaves."

"Perhaps I have missed something, but is there any particular reason you would select him as a target?" Vi questioned. "People actively targeting you like Isaac and Tyrenee would be more beneficial to you in the long term, yes? As far as I know, Antony isn't involved in the strategic game."

"He keeps voting me every time we lose!" Aiden offered.

"What he said," Sarah replied. "He's dead weight, though. He might be the strongest person we have, but he's too stupid to actually make use of it. He's the cause of our loss in the maze challenge, and according to Oregon he nearly cost us the challenge last night too."

"Intriguing," Vi said, holding her hand up to her chin. "You are aware that Tyrenee, Isaac, and Wyvern are all planning to vote you out, yes?"

"Ayane and Oregon are too," Sarah said. "Oregon's just more upset with Antony than he is with me right now. It doesn't matter, though. We have enough to vote out Antony if we lose."

"And have you considered what happens after he leaves?" Vi considered blankly. "Once Antony is gone, Oregon will turn against you again. Then, even with me, you've got five people against your four. Can you explain to me why I would willingly put myself in a minority alliance? An alliance which, I remind you, is also viewed as antagonistic in nature and thus unlikely to attract new members from the other team after the merge?"

"So," Sarah said with a stiff face. "You're planning on siding against me?"

Vi looked toward the ground. "I did not say that." The short girl began to turn and walk away. "Although, I should mention that if you continue to treat everyone as an enemy, they will do the same to you," she said with a wave of her hand.

* * *

 **Confessional**

 **Sarah:** "Vi's right in that I should be voting out someone other than Antony, but I really need Oregon to be sided for me during this vote. Antony's the only person other than _me_ he'll vote for. I don't need her philosophy blah blah blah to tell me how to win."

* * *

Ayane crept inside the upstairs hallway where the storage room was, looking to see if Antony was still digging around. What she say was that the door in was ripped off of its hinges, laying on the ground in the room. She slowly slid against the wall and peeked in the room and saw…

… Antony laying face down on the ground, face down on the other side of the room, directly parallel with the door.

The host opened up on the intercom across the resort. "A body's been discovered. Look's like someone finally bit the dust. You guys better head up to the attic to start doing some investigating. You have only ten minutes before the trial begins. Good luck everyone! Hahaha Ha"

* * *

Kiara was the first person to arrive on scene, and by the time she arrived Ayane was sitting on the ground visibly shakened.

"Er, what happened," Kiara asked the girl. "I heard the announcement."

"It wasn't me!" Ayane sobbed. "It wasn't me I swear! I was just the first person here!"

Kiara ignored her and took a peek inside, and saw Antony lying on the ground, then glanced down at what was left of the door. "Hm," she muttered to herself.

Shortly after, the contestants that were either still in the resort or were standing around the pool got to the crime scene. Notably, Seamus, Aiden, Sarah, Vi, Andrew, Isaac, and Wyvern. Sarah crossed her arms haughtily as she arrived. "Who kicked the bucket?"

"Uh, the big tall guy on your team," Kiara responded.

Sarah stepped past the threshold of the room. "Looks like he got what was coming to him. He wasn't going to be much help in a trial anyway."

Vi crouched down and investigated the door, finding the lock had been busted off of it when it was ripped off the hinges. "It appears to have been completely destroyed. Perhaps the one to tear down this door was the victim himself?"

"It wasn't me!" Ayane repeated.

"You may relax, I believe it is nigh impossible for you to have done this," Vi consoled. "I doubt Chris would have announced that the body because the killer saw the body. It would not make sense for the structure of the challenge. Nor to I think you would be capable."

Pounding was heard coming from a chest just to the left of the body. A heavy looking crate was stacked on top of it, along with quite a few books further on top of the crate.

"Someone's in there!" Wyvern shouted. "We have to help them!"

Seamus and Sarah moved all the clutter off the chest, and after they did they found the lock had been busted off of it. The two of them opened the chest and found Gray laying inside.

"Oh, thank God. I thought I was gonna run out of oxygen in there. Then we'd have a _real_ murder on our hands." She leaned over the chest and dug out a deerstalker hat and put it on her head. "Anyway, Master Detective Gray is on the case."

Andrew crossed his arms. "How exactly did you get in there?"

"Oh, I was just exploring in here, then saw this locked chest and I was all like, 'locked? Nothing is locked to Master Detective Gray!' so I broke it off. With my teeth," she explained rapidly. "Then Antony busted the door down and shoved me in the chest."

"How did you get that mark?" Vi asked. Sure enough, there was a mark on Gray's hand that looked like it was comprised of blue dust.

"Oh, I don't know," she dismissed, wiping the mark off.

Tyrenee, Diana, Ryan, Paul, Oregon were the next to arrive, as they had to change after getting out of the pool. "Dang, looks like it finally started," Tyrenee commented.

"We should start collecting alibis," Paul said. "The five of us were in the pool, so we're good."

"Ah, yes!" Gray shouted. "Alibis! Aiden, where were you on the fifth of October, two years ago?!"

"Uh, I don't know!" Aiden responded nervously.

"Hah, a convenient excuse," Gray responded with her arms behind her. "Convenient enough to be suspicious. Convenient enough for MURDER!."

"I do not think that is relevant," Vi stated.

"Ignore her," Sarah shrugged. "She does this."

"Either way, we should wait until I have conducted a thorough investigation of this room before we start considering alibis," Vi suggested calmly.

She examined the body of Antony, which was sprawled out on his back with his feet facing the door, and a blue splotch located on his chest as well as covering his hands. "It must be from the tranquilizer. The spot on the chest is the 'fatal' wound, and the marks on his hands are where he was holding them." She gave him a quick pat down. "All his balls are gone."

Gray started to laugh, but Sarah pushed the girl's head forward. "So, the killer probably stole the tranq-balls after they knocked him out. Why even bother with that? It's not like he can use them now, anyway."

The next object she looked at was the chest that Gray was locked inside, first looking at the broken lock then at the walls of the chest itself. "There is a hole right here," the girl pointed out. A small hole was cut into the chest in the exact middle.

"So it could have been possible for Gray to hit Antony from inside the chest?" Andrew asked. "How clever, so that's how it was done."

"Not exactly. She couldn't have taken the tranquilizer balls from within the chest," Vi corrected.

"Someone else might have done that," Diana suggested.

"For what purpose?" Vi asked. "And would the discovery announcement not have played when this person took them? They most certainly would have had to have been taken by the killer themself. I think Gray is in the clear for now, until we find evidence to the contrary."

The stoic began looking through the chest Gray was in. For the most part, it was empty. The only object of interest inside was a slingshot. Specifically, Antony's slingshot. "Gray, may I ask how this managed to get in here?"

"Antony must have dropped it when he threw me in here," she said.

Vi nodded in acknowledgment. "Of course, I understand. I believe that is everything here." She took a glance at an open window in the back of the room. "Anyone who was in here earlier, was that window open before."

"Uh, no," Ayane answered. "I-It wasn't."

"Then I will return after I have conducted a thorough investigation of the ground below the window." Vi gave a slight wave as she left the room. "It might be better for you all to start gathering alibis now." The girl disappeared down the hallway.

Isaac grinned wickedly. "Perhaps we should start with the most suspicious person here," he said. "Isn't that right, _Kiara!_ "

"What!?" she shouted. "I'm not suspicious! You're suspicious!"

"She was the first person here besides Ayane," Isaac pointed out. "Where were you that you got here so fast, hmmm?"

"I was just in the lobby. I-I can't swim so I didn't go to the pool, and outside was a little crowded for my taste a-anyway," Kiara defended. " _You_ were inside too! Where were _you_?"

"Isn't it more fun if I _don't_ tell?" Isaac grinned.

"This would be better if we had an accurate idea of who was outside at the time. Wyvern, didn't you take a picture of the pool party?" Sarah asked. "It might help us with the case."

"Uh, yeah," Wyvern said. He handed Sarah the photo he took and she took a quick look at it.

"Myself, Tyrenee, Oregon, Aiden, Vi, Andrew, Diana, Ryan, Aiden, and Paul are all shown in this photo," Sarah explained. "That leaves Antony, Ayane, Kiara, Seamus, Isaac, and Gray as being inside at the time of the murder."

"Hmmmmm," Gray said in an extremely drawn out fashion. "Wyvern isn't in the picture either. Care to explain, ZODIAC KILLER?!"

"He was the one who _took_ the picture, genius," Paul pointed out. "Of course he wouldn't be in it."

"I knew that," Gray smiled.

"Anyway," Sarah said forcefully. "Antony obviously didn't kill himself, and Ayane isn't a suspect, so that leaves the four of them."

"Five," Ryan corrected. "Andrew went to use the bathroom shortly after that photo was taken."

"I admit, that is true," he said calmly. "Kiara was alone in the lobby, I was using the bathroom, Gray was stuck in a box, and Isaac won't tell. The last person we haven't questioned is Seamus."

"I was in my room, changing so I could get into the pool. I stopped and put regular clothes back on as soon as I heard the announcement," Seamus said.

"So that's your excuse," Gray said suspiciously. "The jury votes guilty!"

"Wait, there was one thing," Seamus realized. "I heard a loud crash while I was changing, just a few minutes before the announcement."

"Y-Yeah, I heard that too," Kiara said. "Isaac said he would go check out what it was, but he never returned."

"I-I was in my room, all alone," Ayane said. "That's when I heard it too. I kept thinking what if someone was hurt, and it sounded like it came from the storage room, s-so I came up here to check it out. I'm sorry it didn't mention it sooner!"

"Well, Isaac?" Sarah said. "Did you find out what the noise was?"

"Well, no," he admitted. "But that's what I was doing. To me, it sounded like it came from the third floor, so I was up there trying to find it. In hindsight, I guess it was the sound of Antony kicking down this door."

A loud alarm sounded throughout the building. "Time's up, everyone. Court will take place outside on the patio, I've got a circle of chairs set up for you all. After that, you'll vote for the killer. I wonder who it is? Oh wait, I already know, hahaha!"

* * *

Cecilia fidgeted with Seth's phone, which by now looked much different. The back end had been almost completely removed, and wires spread out in every direction, criss-crossing each other into a tangled web. "And there," she stated as she put one final wire into a slot. "This should work as an EMP now. Now all we need is a clever way to get close to it now… and a weapon."

"Nice," Seth said with two thumbs up. "Thanks for volunteering."

"Hmph," the genius girl scoffed. "Anyway, any sufficiently large stick should do the job. Help me look for something, and we should stick close to camp. We need to get there as soon as possible so the robot doesn't cause too much more destruction."

"Like this?" Seth asked, picking up a long and sturdy stick and waving it back and forth.

Cecilia jumped backwards out of range. "Yeah, I suppose that'll do. Um, hide in that bush," Cecilia said, pointing. She threw Seth the modified phone. "I'm gonna get that robot's attention now. As soon as it gets close, activate the device and shut it down. Then, when it's down, use the stick to destroy it. It may not be human, but it's weakest point still appears to be the eye. It looks as though its made of glass."

"Righto!" Seth agreed as he stepped into the bush. "I've never killed a robot before."

Cecilia stepped outside of the woods into the clearing and saw the robot patrolling the ruins inside the concrete walls. She picked up a rock and threw it in the general direction of the robot, though it missed horribly. "HEY! SCREW YOU, YOU BUCKET OF BOLTS!" The robot immediately turned and started to give chase. "Yeah, that got its attention."

Cecilia ran deeper in the forest followed by the security robot. When it got near Seth's bush, he pushed a button and suddenly it dropped to the ground. Seth quickly and strongly stabbed the robot straight through the eye with his stick. Several sparks shot out and the robot was shut down for good.

* * *

 **Confessional**

 **Cecilia:** "Last place still sucks, but finally doing something useful actually makes things a lot better. I hope all that got caught on camera."

* * *

The scattered losers finally reconvened at the middle of the wall, which now guarded nothing but a pile of rubble. Van stretched out. "Nice, but I coulda beaten that robot to scrap metal if I was given enough time, and I wouldn't have to use that science mumbo jumbo, either."

"Sure," Cecilia dismissed. "It seems we're missing a red-headed devil. Where's Rei?"

"Oh, her? A gang of animals came and kidnapped her in the chaos. Probably dead now, not that I cared anyway," Van declared.

"Probably robotic animals," Cecilia guessed. "I'd say the island is back online. And knowing what happened last season, that's _really_ not a good thing."

"Eh, once the stupid challenge is over we go back to the Playa so it's not our problem anymore," Van decided.

Cecilia started writing in the ashes with her finger. "I'm gonna leave the others a message, though. They have a right to know what's going on if they're gonna stay here. Shame about the shelter though. Though, I suppose it's fine. It's not my team, after all."

"You're not mad at them for voting you off first?" Van asked. "Personally, my team can all suck dick. I'm rooting for the Eagles now."

"Interesting way to phrase it," Cecilia considered. "But, yeah, I'm a little mad. But ultimately, I chose to stir the pot first, and I got what was coming to me."

* * *

Chris sat in the middle of a ring of contestants sitting in metal chairs surrounding him on the outside patio. "Court is now in session for the murder of Antony Kaliere. Keep in mind that, to keep things fair, the votes of the team the killer is on will _not_ be counted. Aaaand _begin!_ "

"Considering this rule, I should mention that it is useless to vote for a member of your own team," Vi informed. "If you are correct with your vote, it will not be counted anyway. If it is wrong, then it is a wasted vote that could have gone to the correct suspect."

"Furthermore," Andrew added. "Probability dictates that the killer is likely a member of the Eagles considering their size."

Isaac gave a light chuckle. "That's discounting the fact that the victim was _also_ one of us. It wouldn't be very smart to knock one of our own members out of the challenge, yeah? If I were the killer, I'd have killed Andrew. Without him, the Bears probably would be lost, _heheheeeeeh_."

Diana frowned. "We should probably ask Vi what she found outside at the window."

"I am afraid to admit that I found nothing of importance," she droned. "No signs of anyone having used it and nothing was thrown out. I apologize for this."

"That's okay," Aiden said. "If you couldn't find anything, neither could one of us!"

"Then perhaps Gray heard something while she was locked in the chest," Andrew suggested. "She would have been in there when Antony was killed, after all."

"All I heard was Antony fall to the ground sometime after he locked me in the chest," Gray asserted. "I'm sure that's not much help."

"Wait," Diana said, motioning with her hands. "Couldn't she have done it herself. She coulda done it from inside the box because of that hole. It was clearly cut out, and it was lined right up with Antony. She coulda planned it from the beginning."

"Planned it from the beginning?" Vi said with a tilt of her head. "Are you suggesting that Gray counted on being thrown into the chest by Antony then threw a ball through a narrow hole? I apologize, but I find that situation unlikely."

"She didn't have to," Diana offered. "She didn't have to count on Antony doing it, because she coulda climbed inside the chest herself. I mean, why would he throw her in a chest anyway? It don't make sense."

"That would have been a plausible theory had objects not been stacked on top of the chest. Are you suggesting she somehow did that from within?" Vi asked.

"Well, no," Diana said, scratching her head. "But she had to have done it, you know? She had tranq-ball dust on her hand, and one wasn't found inside the box. She had to have used it on Antony. And that slingshot found in there, ain't that suspicious too?"

"I got that on my hands from Antony handling me when he put me in the chest," Gray defended. "I just missed a spot when I wiped myself off, I guess. I woulda been pretty careless to not clean up if I really did kill him, riiiiiight?" she teased.

"She's mocking me," Diana huffed.

"This line of reasoning went nowhere," Sarah interjected. "We can clear Gray as a suspect safely. We need to get to Andrew, Seamus, Isaac, and Kiara. They're pretty suspicious, if you ask me. None of them can _prove_ where they were at the time of the murder."

"I-I was in the lobby," Kiara said. "I was left alone when Isaac went to investigate the n-noise."

"Which nobody can attest to," Sarah said.

"I had gone to the bathroom from the pool," Andrew added.

"I was in my room, changing," Seamus said.

"And I was on the third floor, looking around."

"Which, as I stated, no one can attest to," Sarah said firmly.

Andrew pursed his lips. "Chris, I need some quick clarification on the rules," he requested. "What were the requirements you had before the announcement played?"

"Ah, I was wondering when you were gonna ask that," Chris said. "Truthfully, I was gonna do it when only one person that wasn't the killer saw the body. But… complications arose, so I waited until there were two?"

"Complications?" Andrew repeated. "No matter. That confirms it, though. There was someone _before_ Ayane who saw the body. Whoever that is needs to speak up, now."

"I don't think that is necessary," Sarah considered. "Whoever saw the body purposefully did not mention the fact to us. It was most certainly an accomplice."

"Then I could still be right," Diana said. "What if it wasn't Antony who locked Gray in the chest, but the supposed accomplice?"

"Wat," Gray said flatly. "I'm like so lost right now."

"If that's the case," Andrew began, "then Gray could still be the killer. In this case, Gray would knock out Antony with a tranq-ball. Then, after it is done, the accomplice comes in and helps Gray cover herself with crates to seal her in, giving her an alibi.

"If that were the case, Antony would most certainly have been killed as soon as he entered the room if Gray was waiting on him inside. What was he doing on the other side of the room?" Sarah said.

"May I ask who you suspect is the accomplice?" Vi asked.

"It would have to be Isaac, right." Diana said. "He's the only other member of your team that wasn't accounted for at the time."

"Come on, it coulda easily been someone on your team, helping me too," Gray said. "Ain't you got any traitors?"

"Nobody on this team is a traitor!" Seamus shouted.

"So you admit it then?" Andrew said. "You are the killer and you have an accomplice."

"…No," Gray said innocently.

"I'm ready to vote," Diana declared.

"Just a moment, there's still more," Andrew stated. "How did Isaac know that Gray had knocked out Isaac if he was downstairs with Kiara at the time? Why did Antony kick down the door? Where did all of Antony's tranq-balls go? And, as Sarah said, Antony's body isn't where it was supposed to be."

"Well, to your second question, I can say this… I called for help," Gray said as she stretched out. "I got into the chest and called for help. When he came into the room, I sprang out and threw a tranq-ball at him, knocking him out. That's when… _Andrew…_ helped me back into the chest and made it so I couldn't get out until everyone came."

"Gray," Sarah hissed. "What are you doing?"

"I did no such thing," Andrew said. "Why would you admit to your crime, and yet still lie about who your accomplice is?"

"…Vi knew the whole time," Kiara realized.

"Wat," Gray repeated.

"I-I mean, a lover of m-mystery novels d-doesn't participate in an investigation?" Kiara stuttered. "It doesn't make sense unless she knew the whole time."

Silence.

"I think I know how Antony knew to come upstairs," Andrew deduced. "They used a signal. Kiara and Seamus heard it too. Gray locked herself in the storage room for a reason – she called for help which lured Antony into the room. He kicked down the door to try and save her, the noise of which signaled Isaac to come finish the job. He was found next to the chest, so he must have been about to open it when Isaac came and threw the tranq-ball at him."

"Impressive," Vi said. "Do you have any proof for those assertions?"

"Only that Gray wouldn't have admitted to the murder but still stayed silent about the partner unless the partner is the one who really did it."

"Maybe I just said that to throw you off," Gray said.

"She carved the hole and got dust on her hands to make us suspect that it was her. In short, Gray framed herself to protect Isaac."

"But what about the window?"

"Th-That's what I was about to say," Kiara said. "Isaac must have thrown the stuff out of it. Vi lied about finding it."

"And the slingshot?" Tyrenee asked.

"Taken off of Antony to further frame Gray," Andrew said. "I think, finally, we're ready to vote."

"Good. I'll pass around a paper so that everyone can vote for the killer. Remember that the votes of the killer's team will be thrown out afterward."

Chris passed the paper to the teams, starting with Aiden. It made its way through the circle until it got to Wyvern, where it got returned to Chris. "So the results are… eleven votes went to Andrew," Chris declared with finality.

Andrew winced slightly.

" _And_ five votes went to Isaac," he said. "Since the Screaming Eagles had the killer on their team, all of their votes are thrown out. So that's one vote for Andrew and five for Isaac."

"Who on our team voted for _me?_ Andrew asked.

Ryan raised his hand weakly.

"And the Killer is… Isaac," Chris declared. "For the first time in a while, the Killer Bears win! Eagles, you have a date with me at the elimination ceremony tonight!"

* * *

After the boat ride, the Killer Bears finally arrived at their camp. Diana gasped when she walked through the gate and saw their smoldering ruins. "What… happened here?"

"For fuck's sake," Paul said.

Kiara went into the broken shelter. "A-At least our personal stuff is okay," she said seeing the team's bags and personal items still intact on the ground. "Th-There's a message here. 'Island back online. Scarlett is here. Rei is kidnapped."

"Which one is Rei?" Ryan asked. "Is she pretty? I look forward to rescuing a beautiful girl."

"She's the girl that threatened to kill Chris on the first day," Paul remembered. "Can we _not_ save her?"

"We don't even know where she is," Kiara said. "We should focus on getting a new shelter for… tonight."

* * *

Isaac, Ayane, and Tyrenee all tracked down Oregon outside the shelter. "Sorry 'bout losing the challenge," Isaac apologized. "But are you ready for the plan? Tonight we can finally take out Sarah."

"I talked to Vi," Tyrenee said. "She's with us completely."

"I don't know, guys," Oregon said. "Antony's been getting on my nerves and he's pretty bad in challenges… but... then again so has Sarah. I don't know, I was just trying to have fun here but those two are just making things so difficult."

Tyrenee pursed her lips. "Sorry, but Sarah needs to go. If we don't do something, there will be nothing stopping her from running the game. And I'm sure, as strong as you are, you'll be one of the first people she votes out."

"We can vote out Sarah next time we lose, right?" Oregon asked. "We'll still have the numbers then. It's not like Antony's one of us, he's been voting for Aiden since the first day."

"So, are we like, an official alliance now?" Wyvern asked.

"No," Isaac said firmly. "Oh, nononono. I don't do alliances, this is just a temporary thing until Sarah's gone. Then I go do whatever I want."

"I prefer to work alone, too," Tyrenee said. "I just don't want to deal with Sarah shit anymore."

Wyvern put his arms around Ayane and Oregon. "Then the three of us can be allies, right?"

"Uh, yeah," Oregon said dismissively.

Isaac scoffed. "We'll see how that works out for you."

* * *

 **Confessional**

 **Isaac:** "It looks like another alliance has been formed. Another alliance I'll have to take down. After we're rid of Sarah, that is."

 **Tyrenee:** "If Oregon's gonna flake on us, I might have to ask Vi to use that idol on Antony as a last resort."

* * *

Tyrenee ran to Vi inside the shelter.

"Um, hey. What're you doing, girl? Ready to finally be rid of Sarah tonight?" she asked.

"I hold no strong opinion toward Sarah either way," Vi said neutrally. "But I will be voting for her tonight if that is what you want."

"Actually, you might have to do a _little_ more than that," Tyrenee said. "It sounds like Oregon's gonna split and vote Antony over a dispute they're having. I think we still have the numbers, but just to make sure I need you to play the idol on Antony."

"Why not just let it happen?" Vi asked. "Oregon will return to voting with you after Antony is gone, and it would make him happier if you helped him do so. He might hold a grudge if you blocked his rival from being eliminated. In any case, after Oregon returns to you you will still have the numbers to vote our Sarah. It should not matter strategically what order they go in, yes? At least to you. Just give Oregon what he wants."

"I haven't considered that," Tyrenee said.

* * *

 **Confessional**

 **Vi:** "I still have not made a final decision on who I will be siding with, but convincing Tyrenee to go with Antony will allow me to remain neutral for longer. Sarah and Tyrenee carry benefits and drawbacks to them. Sarah is clearly meant to play the antagonistic role and will be unlikely to have many friends into the merge and is currently in the minority, but the others are barely held together. I feel like Isaac especially would turn on the others in the merge."

 **Tyrenee:** "Vi is sorta right. We can just as easily get rid of Sarah next time we lose, and if ditching Antony now will make Oregon happy, why not?"

* * *

"Eagles," Chris said as they took their seats around the fire pit. "It's been a while. I almost missed seeing your happy faces. Now, let's see how much drama we can squeeze out of you guys. Oregon!" he said suddenly. "Who is the worst person on the team?"

"Antony, without a doubt," he said. "He's been annoying everyone since day one and holds up challenges for us."

"Not true!" Antony shouted. "Aiden is the _real_ loser! But noooooo, let's keep the weakling! We like to keep our team extra sucky!"

"Aiden, how does it feel to know your name is being thrown out there," Chris asked.

"Pretty bad, since it's Antony," he admitted. "I used to look up to him. I thought he'd be cool for us. But it turns out he's just a bully!"

"Bah," Antony grunted.

"Antony," Chris said with a finger to his mouth. "It does not look good for you."

"Without me, they'll never win another challenge again. I've been carrying this damn team on my muscular back since day one, and they won't forget it. Hell yeah!"

"Okay, well let's get to the vote," Chris decided. "Aiden, you can go first."

* * *

 **Confessional**

 **Antony:** "What's this?" he shouts. "Mutiny. How dare they betray their one and only glorious leader!"

* * *

"Right, so," Chris started to say. "I've got the votes, so when I call your name you will collect a marshmallow. I have only nine, so one of you will be going home tonight."

"Vi is safe," Chris said as he threw her the first treat. She nodded curtly at the news.

"Ayane and Oregon are also safe," he continued.

"Gray."

The energetic girl blew raspberries toward Antony.

"Tyrenee and Isaac are safe," Chris continued.

Isaac snorted and caught his marshmallow, while Tyrenee remained calm.

"The final person who did not receive and votes against them is Wyvern. Here you go!"

"Sweet!" he shouted as he caught it."

"And with only one vote against him, the next marshmallow goes to… Aiden!"

"Yes!" he said, excited. "I'm still in the game!"

"Sarah and Antony, this is the final marshmallow of the night," the host said as a shot showed the two of them being smug. "There are very good reasons to vote out the two of you. Sarah, you're a massive schemer out to further your own game, and Antony… you're a egotistical idiot." The camera zoomed into both of their faces which were still confident. "But the final marshmallow goes to… Sarah."

"What!" Antony shouted. "This is an outrage! How could you keep the scrawnies over magnificent ME!?"

"How, I wonder," Tyrenee snarked.

Antony ran up to the dock and boarded the Boat of Losers. "I'll see you all in HELL!" he declared in anger. "HEEEEELLLL"

"Well, Screaming Eagles, not the most shocking boot in the world… but I suppose it works out. You just eliminated your primary source of muscle, so I hope you can find a way to account for it in the upcoming challenges," Chris told them.

"We will," Sarah said confidently.

* * *

 **Confessional – Voting**

 **Tyrenee:** "Vi makes a fair point. I feel I must change my vote to Antony."

 **Antony:** "I don't care what the others say, I'm voting for little man. Hell yeah!"

 **Isaac:** "After Sarah goes, it'll be time to work on Wyvern's little growing alliance. Sucks to suck, don't it? _Heheheeeeeeeh!_ "

 **Ayane:** "S-Sarah," she says. "I hope this is right."

 **Gray:** "Man, the challenge sucked. Oh, and I vote for Antony."

* * *

"So, that does it for this episode," Chris said from the dock as he was closing the episode. "The Screaming Eagles have finally lost a challenge. Will this act as a springboard for the Bears to finally get a leg up? As far behind as they are, probably not. But find out next time anyway on Total! Drama! Nightmare at Paaaaaahkitew Island!"

* * *

Antony stood alone on the Boat of Losers as it sailed off into the distance. "Damn shame if you ask me. They had it all with me! Brains! Beauty! Brawn! Muscle! There's other cool stuff about me too. I've got the worlds biggest collection of dumbbells." He suddenly thrusts his finger at the screen. "Do _you_ have the world's biggest collection of dumbbells? No? That's because I'm a badass and you're not! Hell yeah!"

* * *

 _AN: And Antony finally bites the dust. Honestly, he was meant to get eliminated much sooner, but plot kept getting in the way of getting rid of this fodder so he ended up over-staying his welcome. Oh well. Honestly though, now the last of the fodder characters are finally gone, we finally get to the meat. Anway, if you couldn't tell the entire challenge was a Danganronpa referance. I actually like the first version of the mystery I made better, but this works too. Join me next time when the cast travels into a haunted swamp to try and slay a legendary monster!  
_

 _I'm going to edit this in, but I've gone through and fixed grammar errors throughout the story. It was pretty bad, but as a bonus I added the Nightmare at Pahkitew Island rendition of the opening theme to chapter two. So there's that._

* * *

 _ **Screaming Eagles**_

Sarah: The StratBot

Ayane: The Shy Girl

Aiden: The Weakling

Wyvern: The Tourist

 _Cecilia: The Child Prodigy [22nd]_

Gray: The Nutcase

 _Rei: The Aggressive Genius [20th]_

Tyrenee: The Loner

Isaac: The Trailer King

 _Antony: The Self-Glorious [16th]_

Oregon: The Adventurer

Vi: The Stoic

 **Killer Bears**

 _Van: The Cutthroat [19th]_

Diana: The Country Girl

 _Seth: The Hacker [17th]_

 _Mili: The Desperate Foreigner [21st]_

Ryan: The Vanity Magnet

Paul: The Sarcastic One

Kiara: The Socially Anxious

 _Morrigan: The Creepy Girl [18th]_

Andrew: The Rich Heir

Seamus: The Student Athlete


	8. Episode 8 - Legend of the Swamp Monster

_AN:_ I got a review for last chapter, so let's get that out of the way real quick! Chapter 8, here we go!

 ** _Guest1138:_** _Nice to see that someone enjoys the story. With regards to Kiara I guess all I can say is wait and see. Sorry about playing with your emotions lol._

* * *

 **Screaming Eagles:** Isaac, Sarah, Gray, Wyvern, Ayane, Tyrenee, Oregon, Aiden, Vi.

 **Killer Bears:** Andrew, Kiara, Diana, Seamus, Ryan, Paul.

* * *

Chris stood on the dock late into the night flashing his signature smile ready to introduce the episode. "Last time on Total Drama, the teams the teams worked together for the first time to solve the mysterious murder of Antony and discovered that he was done in by the joint partnership of screwball Gray and sleazy schemer Isaac. As such, the Screaming Eagles ended up with a big fat 'L' and had to vote someone off in a totally dramatic elimination ceremony, where Antony was finally let go for annoying the crud out of his team… and me. But, the rest of the team is slowly uniting against Sarah. Will she be able to dig herself out of this one? Probably not, but it'll be fun to watch her struggle anyway," he joked.

"An interesting development happened on the Killer Bears too, where Diana officially ended all alliances on the team, and with that the target instantly shifted onto Paul. Kiara and Andrew still remained aligned, at least for now. And then nothing else interesting happened at their camp while they were gone," he chuckled. "Nothing at all, everything is 100% fine. How fine _are_ things? Find out right here, on Total Drama Niiiiiightmare at Pahkitew Island!" he said in a ghostly voice.

* * *

(Opening Theme)

* * *

The Killer Bears stood around the ashes of their camp in a stupor as night quickly approached the team.

"What now?" Ryan asked. "There's no way we can rebuild in time to sleep – we'd be up all night doing this, and I need my beauty sleep."

"That ain't even the worst part," Diana considered. "Whatever did this is obviously real powerful. We should be careful and warn the others during the next challenge."

Kiara swallowed. "Do you think it was Scarlett? Is it even safe here?"

"I hope so," Diana muttered. "We need to talk to Chris at the challenge, too."

Andrew folded his arms. "In the meantime, we should probably _find_ a shelter for the night rather than build one ourselves."

"You-You mean like a cave?" Kiara asked.

"At least it will be out of the rain," Diana said. "Anything's better than nothing at this point."

"Well, if we're gonna go we should go now," Paul said. "We're wasting time just standing here, and I am _not_ getting caught out in the dark when whatever did this to our camp is out there."

* * *

 **Confessional**

 **Diana:** "I'd hate to see anyone on the other team get hurt, especially Oregon. That's not the way I want to win challenges, even if we are behind."

 **Kiara:** "The idol is still under the ground, but I can't carry it with me or I'll risk someone seeing it through a bulge in my pocket," she admits slowly. "I guess I can just go back for it if I smell something fishy… I don't think I need it. Right now."

* * *

Paul lagged behind the Killer Bears group in an attempt to talk to Andrew as the team went in search of their new home.

"Come on man, you of all people gotta see the insanity in all this," Paul said to him quietly. "Think about it, who benefited most from disbanding alliances?"

"I can't imagine who," Andrew said dully.

"Diana," Paul answered. "Everyone instantly agrees with whoever she says we vote out because _she_ has the moral high ground. Suddenly she has all the power, and that is completely ridiculous.."

"To be fair, she did say Kiara suggested we vote you out."

"But Diana, my own former ally, agreed without even a second thought," Paul replied. "That tells me where her loyalties _really_ lie. Look, if we all turn against her she doesn't stand a chance. You, me, and Kiara. That's enough to vote her out."

"That is only three of the six votes on the team," Andrew said.

"Not if we tell Seamus we're voting Ryan. That's enough to split their vote so we have the power," he argued. "Look, if you do this I'll take you to the finale, guaranteed."

"Intriguing," Andrew considered. "If I were to consider this though, I'd have to see you step up in challenges."

"Ugh, yeah," Paul dismissed. "Sure."

The group suddenly stopped in front of a cliff face with a small overhang etched directly under. It was a rather uneven area, and sharp rocks jutted out of the ground. Out front was a small pond with water clear enough to see fish swimming inside, and the forest surrounding was incredibly dense.

"This could be the place," Diana considered. "I mean, the spikes look uncomfortable but as long as we don't sleep near 'em we'll be fine."

The rest of the team sans Seamus gave her a skeptical look.

"Well, I think it's perfect!" Seamus said.

"Right? Well, I'm gonna start us a fire so we don't freeze to death in here. Rest of you should probably get some food or somethin' so we can eat tomorrow."

* * *

 **Confessional**

 **Kiara:** "I-I'm not really happy about the new sleeping arrangements. I mean, the old cabin wasn't very good either, but someone like me doesn't really belong in a grimy cave."

* * *

Wyvern caught up to Tyrenee after the Screaming Eagles' elimination ceremony as the team trekked back to their camp. "What happened there?" he asked her. "I thought for sure Sarah would be going home tonight."

"Something… came up," Tyrenee said noncommittally. "I mean, it's not like anyone's heartbroken he's gone."

"You did this? I mean, I don't have much stake in Sarah _or_ Antony leaving, but it's the principle of the thing, you know?" Wyvern said. "It's kinda rude to lie, and it makes it hard to trust people."

"Sorry," Tyrenee said. "But Vi was in on it too, and she came up with the plan and I didn't have time to tell you guys."

"It's alright, I guess," Wyvern said shrugging his shoulders. "So we're still good for voting Sarah out next, right?"

"Of course," Tyrenee agreed.

Out from the back, Vi listened in with interest.

* * *

 **Confessional**

 **Vi:** "It is certainly an interesting development that which I have observed. Perhaps I could use Wyvern's uncertainty to my advantage, but I do not know to what ends that would help accomplish."

 **Wyvern:** He gives the camera a skeptical look. "I thought Sarah might have been the worst person in the long run. I mean… she's not very nice, but at least she hasn't lied to me. I mean, she hasn't really had the _chance_ to lie to me either, but still..."

* * *

Diana managed to get a fire started just underneath the overhang while the rest of the team managed to fill a small basket with a large amount of berries.

"Right, that should do us at least for the morning," Diana said. "There's fish in that pond, so we can eat that tomorrow."

Paul plopped face down onto the hard cavern floor. "Ugh, I'm _so_ done right now."

"We should probably head to sleep," Andrew suggested. "Staying up too late could cause us to perform worse in tomorrow's challenge. We finally have a chance to get momentum."

"What he said," Diana agreed.

* * *

The Killer Bears slept while their fire remained roaring some time late into the night. The camera panned down to Andrew to lay still with his eyes open and ensured everyone was asleep. He crept over to Kiara, who was laying by herself in a far off corner of the cave. He lightly tapped the girl's shoulder. "Still awake?" he whispered.

"Y-Yeah," she said groggily, flinching at the contact. "It's not like I could sleep in here anyway."

"Come sit by the fire, there's something I need to ask."

The girl nodded slowly.

The two of them sat facing each other by the fire. Kiara sat facing the outside of the cave, and Andrew inward. "Paul suggested we vote out Diana… and I believe it is something worth considering,"

"No," she said shortly. "It has to be Paul."

"Paul is no threat," Andrew said. "And without him, we may not have an opportunity to remove Diana in a long time. Everyone likes her."

Kiara clenched her fists. "She trusts me right now," she wavered. "I can't betray that trust now! She hasn't done anything wrong!"

"Lower the volume, we don't want to wake the others," he said calmly. "And clearly you had no trouble betraying Van or Seth," Andrew answered.

"Van actually _physically_ assaulted me," Kiara defended.

"And Seth?" Andrew asked.

"I did what I had to," she said hollowly.

"Look at this from my perspective, you have betrayed two of your own allies thus far. How am I to believe that I am not next, especially with your irrational fixation on Paul."

"It's not irrational!" Kiara shouted. "And don't act like you wouldn't turn on me if you thought you had to, either!" She clenched both fists and stood up indignantly. "I'm going for a walk."

"Don't hurt yourself," he said sarcastically.

"Don't patronize me!" she spat.

The argument brought the rest of the team to wake. Diana rubbed the sleepy out of her eyes. "What was that all about?"

Andrew sighed. "I really don't know."

* * *

 **Confessional**

 **Andrew:** "The more time I spend around Kiara, the less I understand about her. It makes me second guess my alliance with her since her paranoia might lead her to target me. At the same time, I cannot keep Paul – he is just desperate right now and will say anything to save himself. I cannot keep Diana or Seamus because they will be too strong _and_ popular, especially in the merge. My only other option is Ryan and… I don't want my only ally to be Ryan."

 **Kiara:** "I have no issue with betraying Diana, really," she says to the camera. After a second, she swallows. "Although I suppose I should. It's just that I can't wait any longer to ditch Paul. The longer he stays, the more likely he'll start suspecting _me_ of stealing his idol. He's already thrown suspicion at Diana, how long before I say slip up or something? I had a close call with Seth."

 **Diana:** "This is the exact _opposite_ of what I was trying to do. Disbanding the alliances was supposed to bring us closer together, but now we're just cannibalizing each other!"

 **Paul:** "Trouble in paradise? I didn't hear the whole thing, but this sounds like exactly what I need to save myself."

* * *

Oregon exited the Screaming Eagles' shelter at morning and stretched out in a dramatic fashion. Tyrenee was waiting outside. "Hear that?" he said with brief pause. "Complete _silence_."

"Cheers to that," Tyrenee said dully.

Gray skipped out of the door just after Oregon. "Wassup, bros?" she said lightly. "What's the latest gossip? Actually, don't answer that. I don't have the time." She starts skipping merrily out into the woods. "I've totally gotta go make teh poops RN."

Tyrenee and Oregon gave each other an odd look.

* * *

 **Confessional**

 **Gray:** "Yes, I _could_ wake the team up by doing my impression of a dying rooster, _buuuuuut_ my goal is to be quirkily endearing and not in-your-face annoying. I'm trying to have _fun_ here, not get myself ostracized.

* * *

Sarah wandered the forest holding a small bag collecting berries the team knew to be edible. She picked a bush nearly clean, then turned her back and found Vi staring at her from a tree stump while sitting in the lotus position. She held a thin branch between her fingers, examining it thoroughly.

Sarah gasped, then regained composure. "Are you following me?"

The stoic tossed the twig aside. "I was just wondering if you had thought about what I said. Do you have a plan to spare yourself elimination? It might be prudent to start attempting to make deals with the others, especially considering your popularity is continuing to drop steadily. I heard you have already made a new enemy in Oregon, yes? It would be a shame if you were unable to gain a new ally before everyone else turns against you. You may have gotten lucky and dodged the target on your back before, but your alliance of three will not be sufficient for much longer. Or four, for that matter."

Sarah narrowed her eyes. "What are you getting at?"

Vi cocked her head to the side. "I happened to overhear a rather intriguing conversation between Wyvern and Tyrenee – it would seem the recent vote has caused the seed of doubt to be planted within his mind over his ally. Indeed, I think it might be possible to encourage him to vote her off. Of course, one would have to be subtle. He would have to think it was his idea."

"Well you clearly have a way with words," Sarah said. " _You_ do it if you're so interested."

"Hmm?" Vi hummed. "What benefit would I have to gain from doing that? As I recall, I am not in any danger of getting eliminated on this team. Correct?"

"Why even give me this information, then?" Sarah questioned.

Vi hopped down from the stump and started walking away. "An experiment, I suppose, and the results of which I am keenly interested in."

* * *

 **Confessional**

 **Sarah:** "Goddammit. I _know_ I can't trust Vi, but right now I have no choice. I need her vote if I want to stay in the game."

 **Vi:** "Honestly, being on the Killer Bear was stifling my own gameplay. Now that I am safe from elimination and in a position of power in the form of a swing vote, I can play at my maximum efficiency. After I overheard Wyvern and Tyrenee's conversation, I had come to realize a new concern with siding with them – fracturing. Tyrenee and Isaac are both loners by nature, and if the merge hits and the two of them are still present, it is nigh unpredictable what the two of them will end up planning. Gray and Aiden at the very least show no signs of being disloyal to Sarah.

Of course, theoretically after the merge I could flip back and rejoin my old team, and in that case it certainly would benefit me to keep those who would be more likely to flip as well around, but that would also mean keeping Seamus and Diana around longer than I would like. They are both physical threats that are vastly more popular among everyone than myself, and I do fear my ability to dodge elimination the longer they last."

* * *

The Killer Bears were still awake by morning time, lounging around the cave and eating berries while Seamus was out by the pond spearing fish.

Paul sat beside Andrew against the cavern wall. "Perhaps we can talk about what happened last night," he smirked. "I think the way Kiara treated you was completely unfair."

"What do you want, Paul," Andrew said suspiciously.

"Look, I don't want to begin to understand what last night was about – but hear this, if you're arguing with her like _that_ then I don't think you can trust her either. It wouldn't hurt to vote her out."

Diana overheard from nearby. "Vote out Kiara? No, no," she shook her head. "Vi told me some… not nice things about her, but I _want_ to trust her. She might have a few issues, but she's got a good heart I think. She's just very determined to push everyone away from her."

"Is _nothing_ private in this game?" Paul complained. "Everyone listens in on everything."

Diana crossed her arms. "Didn't you listen in on Andrew and Kiara talking just yesterday?" she pointed out. "And if you didn't want to be listened to, maybe you shouldn't talk in the middle of the shelter while most of us are still here!"

"I should mention that he also suggested I vote you out last night," Andrew added.

"Oh, fuck off," Paul said. He stood up and stomped out of the shelter.

"What was that?" Diana asked in shock.

"Paul being bitter," Andrew answered firmly. "He's trying to dig himself out of the hole he's in right now by throwing anyone he can under the bus. Don't worry, I have no intention of voting our Kiara."

"Right," Diana said lightly. "Or me, right?"

"Right," Andrew assured.

* * *

 **Confessional**

 **Andrew:** "Since Kiara will not budge on Paul, I don't believe I have much of a choice but to side with her here. A bad call? Perhaps, but I do not want to start any more drama than necessary."

* * *

Ayane was painting on the mural on the wall of the Screaming Eagles cabin. Only Vi's head was painted so far, and the facial features were missing. "Sorry I haven't had time to do this until now the challenges have been taking up so much time, but I didn't want you to feel left out either."

"Completely acceptable," Vi stated.

"Can you give me a smile?" Ayane said lightly.

"I believe it would be more of an honest depiction of myself if I did not. I do not believe in pretending to be something that which I am not."

"You'd look cuter if you did," Ayane beamed.

"Actually, there is something that which I would like to ask you," Vi said looking at the images of the contestants on the wall that were voted out. "What is your perspective of the politics surrounding the eliminations on this team thus far? Surely it would be interesting to hear the thoughts of someone who largely keeps to herself."

"Her," Vi said pointing to Cecilia's image. "Why was she eliminated first?"

"I-I dunno, really," Ayane said while finishing off Vi's face. "The others said she was too smart or too powerful or something. I voted for Sarah though, so I guess it didn't really work out for me."

Vi tapped her chin in thought as she moved on to Rei's portrait. "I can imagine why she was voted out – I was witness to her behavior at the Playa. We had a similar problem on my old team, though he was admittedly more difficult to remove from the game."

Silence.

Ayane put the finishing touches on the duplicate Vi, which inherited her signature vacant stare. "There," She said with a smile. "It looks pretty."

"Accurate," Vi said simply.

* * *

 **Confessional**

 **Ayane:** "Vi's kinda hard to talk to, but some of the others are pretty intimidating too…"

* * *

The sound of a trumpet playing a cavalry charge played across the island and the shot cut over to Chris and Chef Hatchet at the edge of a deep and foggy swamp, the border of which looked artificial. "Listen up, losers. It's _challenge_ time, and today is the most! Dangerous! _Eveeeer!_ Everyone, meet at the edge of the Swamp of Despair for your explanation. And make it snappy, first team to get all their members over gets an advantage in the challenge!"

* * *

Paul started to walk away holding the team's map of the island, but Diana stepped in front of him.

"Aren't we going to the challenge?" he asked. "We kinda need that advantage right now."

"Not without Kiara," Diana asserted. "She doesn't have a map, and if we show up to the challenge without her we'll be down a person."

"Ugh, whatevs," Paul said, turning around. "But if she's not here soon, I'm voting her out."

A shrill scream let out somewhere in the distance, recognizably belonging to Kiara. "That was her!" Diana gasped. "I have to find her, _now_!"

"I'm coming with you!" Seamus shouted. "No team member left behind!"

"Ugh," Paul snorted as it was only he and Ryan that were left behind. "I guess we're the ones heading to the challenge today."

* * *

Diana and Seamus ran toward the scream through the forest, and eventually came upon a clearing with Chris McLean and Chef standing in front of a swamp. "Welcome Diana and Seamus to the challenge, you're the first ones here so you're gonna have to wait for the others."

"That scream," Diana said thoughtfully. "It must have come from the swamp. You have to let me through, Kiara's in there."

"Too bad, you gotta wait until the challenge starts to go in there," Chris shrugged. "Can't have a couple of cheaters getting an advantage again. You don't have to worry about Kiara anyway, she's already out of the challenge."

"What do you mean?" Diana said worriedly.

"You'll see."

The Eagle's team showed up afterward and stopped on the opposite side to Diana and Seamus. Paul and the others from the Bears showed up afterward.

"Chris, there's something I have to ask," Diana began, "We got this weird message left at our camp, so… is Scarlett on the island?"

"Scarlett?" Sarah asked.

"Hmmm," Chris considered. "Well, I had forgotten about that. After her little meltdown and the season was over, I arranged for her to be put in a maximum security cell inside the very island she tried to blow up. An appropriate punishment, if you ask me. Don't worry, that cell is absolutely _uber-max._ She can't get out unless someone outside lets her. So we're golden."

"And our shelter being blown up?" Diana asked.

"Your shelter got blown up?" Tyrenee said.

"That would be the island's security, all nice and laser-ey security robots to ensure nobody trespasses on the island. I had them deactivated before we came here, _buuuuut_ a certain Seth by trying to cheat in challenges accidentally turned them back on. So now the island's a deathtrap. Good job with that."

"And _where's_ Kiara," Diana finished. "Did she get hurt by those robots."

"You're missing a player?" Aiden asked worriedly. "We'll we be taken too?"

"Nah, that's irrelevant, I assure you. She got caught up in today's _challenge!_ Today, you'll be going into that there marsh," he said pointing behind him, "and working together to defeat the mighty swamp monster. A being that is half swamp… and half man. Kiara's been captured by this beast, so you'll have to rescue her. Since the Eagle's all got here first, they get a special weapon to help take it down. _Chef Hatchet!_ "

"What?" Chef grumbled. "You told _me_ the reward was the spaghetti cannon!"

"It is, but it comes with _you_ as a package deal. Anyway, first team to defeat the legendary swamp monster and frees all its victims gets immunity. The losers and winners will get to join me for the next _dramatic_ campfire ceremony, where we'll finally go down to fourteen campers. The same number we started with on the original Pahkitew Island. Your numbers are getting down there, huh?"

"Are there any special secrets that which we should know about this monster?" Vi asked. "This seems like a particularly monumentous task, especially for one such as myself."

"Is the swamp dirty?" Ayane asked. "I don't really do well with mud…"

"Baby," Isaac muttered.

"I too would prefer to stay dry," Ryan added.

"Too bad," Chris shrugged. "Ready? Go!"

In a massive herd, the two teams ran off into the swamp.

* * *

 **Confessional**

 **Isaac:** "Man, I live for the swamp. I mean, not really since I don't even live near a swamp, but… anyway, what I'm getting at is that I don't mind getting a lil' dirty."

 **Sarah:** " _Scarlett's_ on the island? _Interesting..._ "

* * *

The camera cut to the Screaming Eagles wandering through the swamp first with Chef Hatchet carrying the spaghetti cannon. Apart from a few isolated landmasses, most of the area was covered in waist-deep grimy water. There was an eerie fog the blanketed the swamp as well, limiting visibility.

"Stay close if you don't want to die," the cook said gravely.

"You know, which should find a way to attract the monster," Gray suggested. "I think I have the perfect call! AWOO AWOO AWOO WAP WAP WAP WAP WAP WAP AOGAH AOGAH DING DONG DING DONG!"

"What was that?" Chef Hatchet asked.

"The swamp monster mating call!" Gray answered.

"Even if they could work – which it can't – we wouldn't want to attract that thing while we're unprepared," Tyrenee pointed out.

Just behind them, Ayane trudged through the deep mud with a disgusted look on her face. She looked like she was about to vomit. "I don't know if I can do this."

Gray dived beneath the mud and came back up, now covered head to toe in grime. "Come on, you get used to it. It's not too bad, really. At least we can bathe in the river back home, ayyyyy!" She wiped the mud away from her eyes. You know, give me some vines and I can cosplay as the mud monster waifu."

"Weirdo," Tyrenee complained. "Let's just get moving."

"I apologize for not being much help, as you may likely tell I am not compromised of much muscle. Though, I am hesitant to acknowledge the possibility of a 'swamp monster' though I look forward to being proved wrong."

"It's alright," Isaac offered. "But where'd Sarah and Wyvern go? I coulda sworn they were right here a second ago." He paused for a second, then looked around. "Hell, Oregon's missing too."

"What?" Chef asked. "I told you guys to stay close!"

* * *

 **Confessional**

 **Isaac:** He snorts. "How hard is it to keep up?!"

* * *

"So you wanted to talk to me about something?" Wyvern asked. "What is it, if you don't mind me asking, that is."

"Can you _really_ trust Tyrenee?" Sarah asked severely. "I don't, and I think going into the merge she'll only end up betraying all of us. Look, you're weak and scrawny. Better than some people on this team, but you'll never win an immunity challenge. There's not much you can do if the other team decides to vote you out."

"You're not very transparent, are you?" Wyvern remarked.

"No," Sarah agreed. "But the point is, are you with me or are you not?

"I dunno?" Wyvern said wearily. "I mean, not a lot of people really like you. It sounds like you're just trying to save your butt, so can I really trust you?"

Sarah's eye twitched. "As long as you're useful to me, you can. But if I sense that you're going to backstab me or you stop pulling your weight in challenges, you're done. Hear me?"

"Loud and clear," Wyvern sighed.

* * *

 **Confessional**

 **Wyvern:** "Yeah, okay, I don't trust Tyrenee after she told me she flipped last night. But do I _really_ not trust her enough to go running to _Sarah?!"_

* * *

"Ugh, this is _soo_ gross, I really shouldn't have to be doing this," Paul complained.

"Do you think this mud is good for my skin?" Ryan asked. "I mean, I _have_ heard of mud paths having rejuvenating properties."

"Shut up," Paul said shortly.

"We'd be in a better position had Diana not left us for that guy on the other team," Andrew pointed out. "Her strength would certainly be helpful to us."

"You mean Diana's found the other team more likable than us?" Paul asked. "Actually, I believe that," he said, pointing at Ryan.

"You mean Diana's a traitor?!" Seamus asked.

"No. No," Andrew said quickly. "I don't think she'd go that far, it's just that she's been pretty friendly with that guy on the other team. Haven't you noticed."

"All the more reason to vote her off!" Paul interjected. "They're like, literally two of the strongest in the game. Do you know what would happen if they teamed up?"

"Do you know what would happen if they teamed up and joined _our_ side?" Andrew remarked. "We're behind as we are so we need as many people to flip over to our side as we can get. Diana has accidentally found a _perfect_ opportunity for us."

"Yeah, sure," Paul said uncertainly. "But if they start to touch each other I'm quitting the show."

* * *

 **Confessional**

 **Andrew:** "Considering that after this challenge there will only be fourteen people left, it may be high time to start thinking about the merge. The other team has quite a few more people than I'd like, especially if we lose this challenge. On the other hand, they seem to have a lot of dead weight so our odds are better. Either way, I need to come up with a plan. I might end up flipping myself if it becomes necessary…"

* * *

Oregon watched Diana as she climbed up one of the rooty swamp trees – it looked nothing like any tree existing off the island. Roots shot down through the swamp into a massive tangled mess and the leaves resembled evergreen needles. "I don't see anythin' from up here for the fog!" Diana shouted from above. "I'm gonna climb higher!"

"Don't fall!" Oregon called.

"I'll try not too!" She wiggled her way up to the very top of the tall tree and looked in all four directions. "I... think I seem something!" she yelled. "There's some sort of ruin out in the distance, think it might be the Swamp Thing's hideout?"

"Only one way to find out!" Oregon said confidently.

Diana hopped down from the tree and landed in the water with a splash. "Let's head thataway then."

"Impressive," Oregon acknowledged. "I wish we aren't on separate teams. We could work pretty well together."

"Yeah, I think my team could be pretty strong, though. They have potential, but it's hard to get them to get along. And I think I've made things worse than they already were…"

"No worries," Oregon shrugged. "They couldn't be any more vicious than my team is. Pretty much everyone hates Sarah, but she's stuck around for three eliminations. I mean, I guess it's partially my fault. I didn't vote for her when I could have, but it was sooo worth it."

"Hmm," Diana considered. "I'll race you there!"

"You're on!" Oregon said lightly.

* * *

 **Confessional**

 **Oregon:** "Honestly, I'm glad I met up with Diana for the challenge. I don't know how we'll work out which of us gets to win the challenge, but I'm sure it'll come to us when we get there."

 **Diana:** "Oregon's a nice guy and I could definitely see myself going to the final three with him and someone like Kiara or Seamus."

* * *

The shot cut back to Wyvern and Sarah walking along the swamp, now traveling across dry land. Their clothes were caked in mud from the waist down. There seemed to be a few bioluminescent plants growing around the island.

"This doesn't look natural," Wyvern observed. "I've never seen any of this on my travels."

"We're on Pahkitew Island, nothing here is natural. Keep moving."

"Where are we even going?" Wyvern asked.

"As deep into the swamp as possible."

THUNK! A loud splash happened in the water nearby.

"What the hell was that?!" Wyvern asked in a panicked voice.

"It was probably just a branch or something falling into the swamp. These trees look half rotten anyway. They're bound to be falling apart."

A large, lumbering about six feet tall and covered in mud and vines started to approach. It's eyes were glowing yellow and its hollow grin seemed to splutter fluid. Wyvern started to slowly back away.

"I think… that would be the swamp monster," Wyvern sputtered. Thinking quick, he grabbed his camera to snap a photo before turning and running.

As he ran, Sarah grabbed a nearby branch from a tree to try to fight the monster off. She swung at it, but its slimy hand grabbed the branch and threw it to the side before grabbing her and taking her to who-knows-where screaming on the way, leaving Wyvern alone in the woods running as fast as possible away from the kidnapping.

* * *

 **Confessional**

 **Wyvern:** His hand is covering his mouth. "I actually got a photo of it! If I can show this to the others, we'll know what we're up against… maybe Chef'll know what to do with this. Although… I'm gonna have to find the others first."

* * *

Chef Hatchet continued to lead the remaining Eagles through the marsh. He flinched and aimed the cannon at every little noise.

"Th-There's no n-need to p-panic!" Aiden whimpered. "Th-The m-monster is only going to capture us, not k-kill… right?"

"Knowing that monster, I'd say you have fifty-fifty odds," Chef replied.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Tyrenee asked with suspicion.

Suddenly, a twig snapped behind them and in a split second Chef turned and fired at the sound. The camera cut to Wyvern stuck to a tree and covered in the spaghetti. "Sorry man," Chef apologized.

"M-M-M-Monster!" Wyvern shouted as the large chef started pulling away spaghetti trying to free him from the tree.. "I managed to get a picture of it, but it ran off with Sarah!"

"Sarah's been captured?" Tyrenee asked.

"See what happens when y'all can't keep up?" Chef said harshly. "When I s _ay_ 'stick with me' I mean ' _stick with me'!"_

"We don't even have a plan yet," Tyrenee said.

"Oh yes we do," Chef declared. "Once that monster shows its ugly face, I shoot it down with this," he said weighing the cannon. "It don't stand a chance. You guys are practically guaranteed to win this challenge."

Tyrenee sighed. "That probably jinxed us."

* * *

Kiara stood in a large cave underground comprised of tough bamboo. The outside walls in the room were comprised of a slimy white stone, and around her were several other cages. She shook on the bars with a panicked look. "Somebody let me OUT of here!" she shouted as hard as she could. "I haven't done anything wrong! I don't _deserve_ this!" She shook harder on the bars.

The monster came into the room carrying Sarah, and shoved her into one of the neighboring cages. "Let _go_ of me," she seethed. It shut the door and locked it, preventing her escape, and started to walk back out of the cavern.

Kiara peered between the bars. "Uh, you're that girl from the other team. We've gotta find a way out of here before it comes back!"

"Relax, it's part of the challenge," Sarah said cooly. After the monster left, she leaned against the cell bars and sat down. "I don't think Chris would let it hurt us. My parents would sue."

"Challenge?" Kiara asked.

"I suppose you weren't there for the meeting," Sarah realized. "This is just part of the challenge. Monster captures us one by one, whoever kills monster wins the challenge for their team."

"S-So we're _not_ in any danger?" Kiara asked.

"No, I don't believe so," Sarah answered. "Say, you're on the other team. Perhaps while we're here together, you can indulge me in something?"

"Uh, that depends on w-what it is," Kiara admitted.

"You've noticed Diana and Oregon getting close, right?" she said. "I think it would be mutually beneficial if we were to keep them… apart. You don't look strong, so I don't think you stand a chance against the two of them working together."

Kiara scoffed. "And what would I get in return?"

"Besides getting away of a potentially dangerous alliance?" Sarah questioned.

"I don't really have much of a problem with it…"

"Fine, I'll sweeten the deal," Sarah offered. "If you don't help me split them up, then when the merge comes I will personally see to it that you are the first person voted out."

Kiara was taken aback. "Deal," she said finally.

* * *

 **Confessional**

 **Kiara:** "At the truth or dare challenge, it came out that Sarah is Scarlett's cousin," she tells the camera. "I see the family resemblance. I'm not taking her threats, but I _can_ think of a way to use this to MY advantage!"

* * *

Seamus was leading the Killer Bears after they came up on a tiny island surrounded by the swamp with several of the giant trees dotted around. Paul suddenly stopped in his tracks. "Guys, what the heck are we even doing? We're just wandering around aimlessly. Do we even _have_ a plan?"

"I was just trying to find the monster then figure it out from there," Seamus answered. "I'm sure if we all work together we can take it down easy."

"Don't be stupid, that'll never work," Paul said narrowing his eyes. "What we need is a trap." He suddenly pointed at Ryan. "He can be the bait."

"What kind of trap?" Andrew asked.

"And why am _I_ the bait?" Ryan objected.

"Because I find you the most annoying," Paul remarked. "Anyway, we could build a cage trap out of sticks that triggers from a trip wire. All we have to do is lure this monster or whatever over here and SMACK!" he grinned. "Captured monster. We win. _Easy_ mode."

"It's worth a try," Seamus considered.

"Of course it's worth a try, _I_ came up with it," Paul boasted.

* * *

 **Confessional**

 **Andrew:** "I am gradually disliking Paul more and more, but I cannot deny that what he has is a better plan than wandering aimlessly. The other team has Chef, so we will have to pull out weight if we want to win."

* * *

Chef led the Screaming Eagles deeper into the swamp, coming across a tree with what looked like massive claw marks on it, nearly destroying it. Chef put his finger to the scratches. "See that? It's fresh." He readied his cannon. "It must be close."

"Oh dear," Ayane wavered.

Gray took a peek around the tree. "Yo, where'd Isaac go?"

Chef groaned. "We lost another one? How _hard_ is it to stick together."

"He must have been captured without any of us noticing," Tyrenee reasoned.

A hand extended from a branch and suddenly grab and pulled Vi up into the tree line silently right in front of Aiden. Aiden jumped back in fear and fell on his butt on the ground.

"Another one bites the dust," Tyrenee quipped. "I hope the Bears are having worse luck than we are."

* * *

The remaining Bears had managed to set up a cage up in the air suspended by a rope. Paul was holding up the tripwire while Andrew and Seamus watched from afar. "Now how exactly do you plan on attracting this monster?" Andrew questioned.

"Ryan's bait, right?" Paul reminded. "All he has to do is scream as loud as he can. It'll definitely know where he is then. It'll lure it right to us!" he grinned. "Well, get to it!"

Ryan let out an ear piercing scream that resounded all throughout the swamp. A flock of birds ended up beings scared off by the sound, and the swamp itself seemed to gurgle softly.

"That seems normal," Andrew commented.

"Alright, get into positions," Paul commanded.

Silence.

Footsteps started to approach the area. Paul tugged the tripwire so that it was suspended off the ground, and Ryan stood just behind it waiting for the monster to arrive. Suddenly, it appeared out of the fog and started its approach. Ryan started to slowly back away, while Andrew, Seamus, and Paul made sure that it couldn't see them. Paul crouched down behind the tree holding the wire while Andrew and Seamus hid in a bush.

"Okay," Ryan said psyching himself up. "Come at me, swamp freak. You are waaaaay ugly," he taunted.

Surprisingly, the monster responded in an extremely thick country accent. "Nobody calls _me_ ugly!" It charged right at Ryan, only to trip over the wire. The cage fell down and successfully captured it. "Oof! The heck is this doo-hickey?"

Paul peeked his head from the tree while Ryan took off out of sight. "It can talk?" Paul said in surprise.

"Hah!" it laughed. "Yer so dumb! You think you can catch me with a cage of _sticks!"_ It – or perhaps she – broke through the wooden trap easily and found a new target. It quickly grabbed hold of Paul and drug him off into the dense fog.

Seamus and Andrew were left looking in surprise. "That was surprising," Seamus said. "It has a country accent?"

Andrew narrowed his eyes. "I know that voice."

* * *

 **Confessional**

 **Seamus:** "Maybe this swamp is haunted. Or there's some psychedelics in the air. Talking monster? With country accent? I must be hallucinating."

 **Andrew:** "Right. So it's obviously Sugar."

 **Sugar:** "Hah!" she laughs. "Yep, it's just little old me. Chris told me if I catch 'em all, I'll get a lifetime supply of Juggy Chunks! Wooooo!"

* * *

Wyvern and Tyrenee both strayed to the back of the Screaming Eagles group. Chef Hatchet was still trying to lead them, and was as paranoid as ever.

"Listen, Wyv," Tyrenee tried to say. "I'm sorry I stray voted yesterday. Vi made a convincing argument for getting rid of Antony before Sarah. We still have the numbers to get rid of her as long as nobody flips." Tyrenee crossed her arms. "You won't flip and vote for me… will you?"

Wyvern scratched his arm awkwardly. "I mean… the least you could have done was tell us."

"There wasn't any time," Tyrenee said. "Vi talked to me at the last minute. Plus, are you really all that upset that _Antony_ is gone? _Plus_ I think I've made it perfectly clear that I'm not in _any_ alliance. In the end, I'm working alone and that's that."

"I just kinda figured you would want Sarah gone, too," Wyvern said. "I mean, she's not been very nice."

"Trust me, I know. I've been on the receiving end," Tyrenee said. "But Antony was really grating _and_ was actually hurting us in challenges."

Wyvern took a step forward, and sank deeper into the mud, which was now about halfway up his chest. "What the – I'm stuck!"

Tyrenee looked forward only to find that the others had gone and left. "Where'd everyone go?"

"Find something to help me out!" Wyvern said in a panicked voice.

"Um." Tyrenee grabbed onto a low hanging branch and tried pulling it from the tree. Before she could manage to pull it out, footsteps started to approach them. Tyrenee gave up trying to grab the branch and started to run away into the woods.

"Tyrenee?" Wyvern exclaimed worriedly. "Where are you going?" The camera cut back to her running as fast as she could through the mud when a lasso came from behind and pulled her away.

* * *

 **Confessional**

 **Wyvern:** "Did she just leave me behind?!"

* * *

The group found a tunnel underground on an elevated island in the swamp. Gray whistled to herself. "They're dropping like fliiiiies!" she sang as the others continued walking through the swamp. The group of them arrived at what looked like an old stone ruin, covered in moss and vines. "Two more are missing, don't know why we're… kissing."

"Do you have to do that?" Chef said gruffly.

"Yes," Gray dismissed. "Hey, y'all. We should go explore the dark evil ruin! I bet it has a clue!"

"I'll help!" Aiden said happily.

"Oh, no," Chef Hatchet said. "You three stay out here. I'm going in here _alone._ "

"'Kay," Gray chirped. "I know a sweet taxidermist that can totally do your dead body up nice after you die." She gave two thumbs up. "I'll hunt down your next of kin for payment."

"Actually, I'm okay with staying out here," Ayane said, pushing her fingers together."

"Okay," Chef said. "If I don't come back in five minutes, get the heck out of here."

He disappeared into the tunnel and left the team alone outside. Gray whistled to herself again. "Okay, five seconds have passed. Let's blow this joint."

"Uh… I'm pretty sure he said five minutes," Ayane said softly.

Soon enough, a gruff scream was heard from within the area. Gray wrapped her arms behind her back. "Okay, _now_ who's with me?" Aiden and Ayane both raised their hands.

* * *

 **Confessional**

 **Gray:** "Yeah, waiting around is sooooooo boring. Of course I wanted to get out of there. Good thing that monster got Chef or the others would have never gone with me."

* * *

Ryan caught up to Seamus and Andrew on land panting and out of breath. "Guys, wait up! I lost you!"

"Ryan," Andrew said simply. "I was wondering to where you had run off."

"It's not polite to abandon the team!" Seamus reprimanded.

"Ugh, tell that to Diana," Ryan dismissed. "She left us to be with her new boyfriend or whatever."

Andrew pursed his lips. "Hmm… That reminds me, you don't think Diana would actually turn on us after the merge, would she?" he considered.

"I'm not voting for anyone besides _Ryan!_ " Seamus said pointedly.

"Didn't you bring up that Paul wanted to vote out Diana earlier?" Ryan asked. "Why even say that if you were really considering that?"

"I just find it entertaining to watch Paul desperate to save himself. He brought up interesting points in doing so, don't you think? She's likable enough to survive well into the merge, in my opinion. It may serve all of us nicely if she were to… disappear early. I was not suggesting we vote her off now, but it may be worth keeping an eye on her."

"I can't do that, I've trusted Diana since the beginning!" Seamus shouted.

"But you are no longer aligned with her, yes?" Andrew asked. "As I'm aware, all alliances have been disbanded. Unless you're saying you're keeping a secret alliance?"

"I'm not!" Seamus refuted.

Ryan crossed his arms. "And you aren't still aligned with Kiara?"

* * *

 **Confessional**

 **Andrew:** "Honestly, I do not know if I am still aligned with Kiara. She seemed pretty irritated last night, though I think I will vote for Paul tonight less I risk angering her more. She _is_ still the best choice for an ally I have right now."

* * *

Diana and Oregon finally made it to the underground ruin, which was located where Chef Hatchet and the others were at previously. Though now, everyone had disappeared from the area.

"This has gotta be it," Diana said, pumping her fist. "I bet Kiara and the others are down here!"

"Wait, we don't even have a plan," Oregon said.

"Screw it, we don't need a plan," Diana replied. "I'm going down there and saving everyone!" She ran down a set of corroded stone stairs and into a chamber lit up by torchlight. The spaghetti cannon was laying to the middle of the floor, abandoned. Diana bent down and picked it up.

"Looks like Chef's been captured," Oregon commented.

The two of them turned a corner and saw several empty and filled sturdy cages. Sarah, Kiara, Chef Hatchet, Vi, Wyvern, Tyrenee, Isaac, and Paul were all in their own individual cages. Sarah was closest and noticed two of them approach first.

Sarah narrowed her eyes at Oregon. "Idiot! What are you doing? Take the cannon from her! That's supposed to be _our_ advantage!"

Diana and Oregon looked at each other. "I can't just, like, take it from her," Oregon said. "She's a friend."

Sarah started shaking her bars violently. "Oregon, if you don't stop fucking throwing the challenge for your fucking love life, so help me I will guarantee you'll be the next one voted out!"

"They're both retarded," Paul hissed.

As Sarah yelled, heavy footsteps started to approach from behind. Diana turned and aimed the spaghetti cannon around the corner. As soon as something was in view… she fired.

… and pinned the monster to the wall in spaghetti.

"Fucking nitwit," Sarah exhaled.

The monster tried wriggling out of the mess but was tied in so tightly that it was to no avail. Suddenly, the intercom came to life. "And the Killer Bears win the challenge. Both teams meet me at the elimination ceremony in one hour. As for everyone still in the swamp, good luck getting out."

"Cool!" Diana cheered. "Now let's see who this monster _really_ is!"

Diana walked over to the monster and tugged off its head, revealing none other than Sugar underneath the mask. "Shoot! I've been had!" the girl called. "Does this mean I ain't gettin' my Juggy Chunks? What about my screen time? I was supposed to be a _star!"_ she cried.

Diana slowly backed away.

* * *

 **Confessional**

 **Sarah:** "Fucking hell, as far as I'm concerned, Oregon threw the challenge today. This is exactly what worried me about them two spending time together." She punches the side of the confessional wall. "Damn it!"

 **Diana:** "I actually think it's really nice that Oregon values our friendship enough to not tackle me to the ground over a challenge. Are my standards too low?" she considers. "Hmm… Maybe I'll ask him out after the show's over."

 **Oregon:** "What was I supposed to do, tackle her to the ground?!" Oregon exclaimed. "I can't do that to someone I like!"

 **Vi:** "It appears I will need to do some maintenance, so to speak to ensure this vote goes according to the way I need it to. Sarah will need to be pointed at a target more suitable than Oregon, and I will need to speak to Wyvern to set in motion my plans for the future."

* * *

After the challenge, Vi met with Wyvern. The stoic held both of her hands behind her back. "Wyvern, have you made a decision in regards to the vote?" she said emotionlessly.

"I don't really know," he admitted. "I mean, I don't really like Sarah. I don't know who could, especially after she got ticked at Oregon earlier. But I don't really know what Tye is thinking and she left me behind to get captured by Sugar. I mean, she voted out Antony behind my back so I don't know if I can trust her. I mean, I know you flipped too, but you weren't here since the beginning like she was."

"Indeed I did. And I will be doing so again tonight. Interesting points, however." Vi responded. "If you cannot trust her to truthfully tell you who she is voting for, how can you trust her not to turn on you?

"Wait, what you mean you're flipping again tonight?" Wyvern questioned.

"I meant that I will be voting for Tyrenee tonight. It is the least I could do to support you in your predicament, after all," Vi said earnestly. "I honestly feel for you."

"Uh… How can I trust _you_?" Wyvern said suspiciously.

"I am afraid you cannot," she responded. "But think about it. What reason would I have to lie about who I am voting for?"

"None, I guess," Wyvern admitted. "Thanks for your support, you're kinda cool. Little creepy though," he chuckled.

* * *

 **Confessional**

 **Vi:** "It is a shame to have to lie to Wyvern like this, and I know that after tonight that I will be caught in this. Still, I believe sacrificing Wyvern's – and everyone else aligned with him's - trust in me is worth pulling off this elimination…"

* * *

Kiara caught up with Andrew outside the team's new cave. She inhaled through her nose then sighed deeply out her mouth. "Look… Okay, I'm sorry I got so pissy last night. It was uncalled for and I'm a selfish, selfish girl. I know. But Paul still _needs_ to go, and I think it'd be better for the both of us if I don't tell you why."

"Oh," Andrew realized.

"Um, w-what?" Kiara stuttered.

"I see what this is about," Andrew stated. He looked around saw the others milling about out of the cave, then brought Kiara out of earshot of the others.

"What?" she said nervously.

Andrew crossed his arms. "That's why you want him gone so bad. You're the one who stole his idol, right? Where's it hidden."

"What? No! I didn't steal it!" she lied. "And even if I did I wouldn't tell you."

"Right," Andrew smirked. "I won't tell. I promise. Unless, of course, you were to give me a reason to. But you won't turn on me, right?"

"Are you trying to _blackmail_ me?" Kiara hissed.

"Not at all," Andrew said. "But if you were to betray me, I'd say it's only fair that I do the same to you. Anyway, you are still my best ally, and if you want Paul gone that is what we will do."

Kiara sighed. "Thanks, I guess," she shuffled.

* * *

 **Confessional**

 **Andrew:** "I think I've guaranteed her undying loyalty now. I'll keep quiet about the idol unless I'm standing eliminated because of her. I won't even dictate how she should use it. It's hers now, after all." He taps his own chin. "On the other hand, if I figured this out, it might not be long before others do to. I'll do whatever I can to protect this secret for now. I have nothing to gain from my closest ally suddenly becoming a pariah."

 **Kiara:** "Why am I like this!? I hate it!" She pulls her hood up above her head and pulls the strings. "And now Andrew knows and I can't get rid of him or he'll tell and it's all going to shit! _Fuck me_!"

* * *

Tyrenee met with Isaac, Oregon, and Ayane over by the team's fire.

"Listen guys," Tyrenee said. "I think I might be in trouble, Wyvern's acting squirrely and I think he might be planning on voting for me."

Isaac frowned. "This is starting to look bad, we need to get rid of Sarah by tonight or we start to risk losing the majority to her and her alliance." He crossed his arms and snorted. "Honestly, isn't this kinda your fault? You voted for Antony last night, right?"

"I mean, well, yeah. But I didn't think anyone would be sad he left."

"It doesn't really matter whether anyone liked him," Isaac pointed out. "What matters is that you lied about who you were voting for."

"I'm sorry," Tyrenee said. "Look, I made a bad call. Vi did too. If I could take it back, I would. But he seems to be holding a grudge against me over it."

"You don't have to apologize to me over it," Isaac said. "I don't care. I'm just trying to see Sarah gone."

"What about you, Oregon?" Tyrenee asked. "You got that alliance with Wyvern, how are you voting?"

"I'm voting for Sarah," he answered. "I never agreed to that alliance with him. He just kinda forced it on me."

"Oh… so we're not in an alliance?" Ayane said dejectedly. "Okay."

* * *

 **Confessional**

 **Tyrenee:** "It looks like it's either me or Sarah tonight… and I really don't want it to be me, for obvious reasons. I do think Wyvern is being kinda dumb about this. I mean, I think we all know that Sarah will keep Aiden and Gray over him. Once she's done with him, he's gone. I _think_ I'm still safe, maybe. I mean, Vi, Ayane, Oregon, myself, and Isaac are still enough to take out Sarah. Maybe I'm worrying too much."

* * *

Gray, Sarah, and Aiden were all inside the team's cliffside shelter. Aiden was peeking down a small crack in the floor down to the ground below while Gray was trying to talk to a fuming Sarah.

"Okay, I know you're a little TO'd," Gray tried to say. "But voting for Tyrenee is definitely the only choice we got. We'll never get a vote off on Oregon."

"I just watched him throw the challenge," Sarah seethed.

"We all did," Gray said. "But going all uber bitch on him isn't going to do you any favors. Your approval rating is low enough as it is. We don't have the numbers, and he's still our biggest challenge asset. You got Wyvern turned against Tyrenee, so make use of _that_. Calm down, and think about the game."

Vi peeked into the shelter. "She is right, you know," the girl said. "You cannot eliminate Oregon, and even if you did the consequences would not be to your favor. Take a deep breath."

Vi inhaled, and Sarah copied. Then the two of them exhaled. "Better?" Vi asked.

"Sort of," Sarah said coldly. "So we're voting Tyrenee, then?"

Vi tapped her chin. "I have a plan that will permanently save you and destroy the alliance against you," Vi said. "As well as eliminating your biggest threat. You just have to vote for…" the camera suddenly cut to black.

* * *

 **Confessional**

 **Sarah:** "What in the world is Vi playing at? How doing _that_ save me."

* * *

The Killer Bears and the Screaming Eagles joined each other for the elimination ceremony. The Killer Bears took some seat behind the Eagles, the real stars of tonight's elimination ceremony. Chris and Chef Hatchet stood behind the oil drum podium.

Wyvern gave Vi an odd look. "Why'd you bring your bag? You're not in any danger tonight."

"Just as a precaution," she said simply.

"So, Screaming Eagles. This is your fourth challenge loss total. Know what that means? You guys are officially the inferior team!"

"But we have more people!" Wyvern said.

" _True_ , but you've technically lost more challenges as of now," the host said. "Anyway, we all ready to start the vote? Can't wait to see who gets eliminated tonight. I do so enjoy watching you teens betray each other."

"Actually, there's one thing I would like to say," Isaac began. "Wyvern, if you vote for Tyrenee tonight, you can be sure that I will no longer be working with you. We _need_ your vote tonight."

"Don't be dumb, Wyvern," Tyrenee said.

"Sorry guys, I just can't bring myself to trust her," Wyvern said.

Tyrenee pursed her lips. "Fine. I guess that means we're enemies."

"Dramatic," Chris chuckled. "Isaac, would you like to cast the first vote?"

* * *

 **Confessional**

 **Tyrenee:** She has her fingers crossed. "I really hope it's not me tonight!"

 **Isaac:** He exhales deeply. "Whatever happens tonight happens. But I really hope Wyvern does not screw up our last chance of voting out Sarah until the merge.

 **Oregon:** "There's a lot of drama going on right now, isn't there? I'm glad I'm not involved in any of it."

* * *

"I have with me a plate of eight marshmallows. Whoever does not receive one will be eliminated from the Screaming Eagles. When I call your name, you are safe. The first marshmallow goes to…"

Vi cut the host off. "Hold up." The girl reached into her back and pulled out the immunity idol. "I believe this is the proper time to play this?" she asked.

"Oh, thank God," Tyrenee said. "I knew you'd pull through for me. Thanks for playing the idol on me."

"If it is legal to play this on a player other than myself, I would like to save Sarah from elimination tonight," she said simply.

"WHAT!?" Wyvern, Tyrenee, and Isaac all shouted in unison.

"I thought you were on our side?!" Tyrenee said with increased worry. "You lied to me?!"

"I fucking knew it," Paul said bitterly. "That's MY idol!"

"Apologies for the confusion Paul, I found this idol at the Eagle's camp. I am afraid this one isn't yours."

"Bullshit," Paul said.

"Uh, what's going on?" Ayane said nervously.

Sarah placed a hand on Vi's shoulder. "You can count on me, new ally."

"Okay kids," Chris said forcefully. "Settle down. Sarah is safe from elimination, any votes cast against her will not count. Vi, you'll have to hand me the idol." The stoic did so, and sat back down at her seat.

"As I was saying, if you receive a marshmallow you are safe from elimination. Even though _four_ votes were cast against her, because the idol was played on her Sarah is safe." Chris tossed the first marshmallow at the girl, and she caught it easily.

"Brilliant," Sarah smirked. "This is why you don't cross me."

"Save the blustering, it is inappropriate," Vi said.

"Vi is also safe from elimination," Chris said, tossing the stoic a marshmallow.

"As expected," she stated.

"Gray and Aiden are also safe!"

Aiden caught his marshmallow. "This is the first night I didn't receive a single vote!" he said cheerily.

"Ayane is safe!" Chris said next.

"Thanks," the shy girl said lightly.

Oregon, Isaac, and Tyrenee were the only three still without marshmallows. Chris was now only down to two. "Still with no votes cast against him, Oregon is safe."

Oregon breathed a sigh of relief. "Thanks for not holding a grudge, Sarah."

"Isaac and Tyrenee, the both of you have received votes. One of the two of you will be leaving the game, saying goodbye to your chances of a sweet million bucks."

"It's me…" Tyrenee sighed. "I'm sorry I screwed up the last vote."

"Wait, _I_ got votes?" Isaac said out of confusion. "How did _that_ happen?"

"With only one vote cast against her, the final marshmallow goes to… Tyrenee," the host said, giving the loner the final marshmallow on the plate.

Tyrenee looked extremely confused, yet thankful at the same time. "What the heck just happened."

"Vi," Isaac snorted. "She just played us all."

"I was simply eliminating what I determined was the biggest threat. Unfortunately, that would be you. I am afraid it had to be this way, but it is nothing personal, I assure you."

Ayane scratched her head. "I'm so confused right now."

"Regardless, Isaac, time to board the Boat of Losers," Chris said. "Unless you want Chef to force you away violently, I'd head out if I were you. Goodbye."

Isaac rolled his eyes and started to walk away. "Whatever, good luck guys. I _still_ hope the winner comes from an _original_ member of this team. I think you all know who needs to go next."

"Welp, that was a thrilling turn of events. Anyway, I have a bonus twist for you all. I need a volunteer from the Eagles to take a very special punishment for losing the challenge," Chris told them.

"I'll do it," Ayane said standing up. "I've not been very useful in challenges, so I might as well take the punishment."

"Good," Chris said. "Congrats, Ayane, you're the newest member of the Killer Bears. Say hello to your new team!"

"Oh…" she said.

Diana waved her arms. "Over here!" she said excited. "Welcome!"

* * *

 **Confessional – Voting**

 **Vi:** "Tonight's elimination is quite quite simple, really. Ensuring Wyvern votes for Tyrenee tonight ensure the two of them will never trust each other again. However, that is a simple bonus to what I have planned. It is two-fold – part one is playing my idol to save Sarah. Doing this will ensure her continued trust in me in the future and guarantee that I will not be one of her targets. Switching the vote to Isaac just removes the biggest threat on this team. With that, I cast my vote for Isaac."

 **Sarah:** "Vi told me and the others to vote for Isaac. I don't know what the fuck the has planned, but if it saves my ass from elimination I'm all for it."

 **Wyvern:** He sighs to the camera. "Sorry, Tyrenee. I just can't trust you after you lied to me."

 **Isaac:** "I'm voting for Sarah. I hope Wyvern doesn't mess this up."

 **Oregon:** "Now that Antony is gone, I can get back to focusing on getting rid of Sarah. It helps that she keeps trying to get between me and Diana."

* * *

"Wow, that elimination was a bit of a disaster," Chris said as he closed off the episode. "We're tied seven seven, just like the beginning of the original Pahkitew Island! Will the Screaming Eagles be able to put their act together? Will Ayane be able to survive on her new team? Find out next episode, on Total! Drama! Nightmare aaaaaatttt Pahkitew Island!

* * *

Isaac stood on the Boat of Losers as it carried him away to the Playa. "Look, I ain't bitter or nothing. I'm glad it wasn't Wyvern that ended up screwing me over, but a well-placed idol. Vi played a good game out there, but let's see if the others are wise enough to get rid of her." The country boy scratched the back of his head. "I missed my chance. I shoulda voted for Sarah back at day one, but it's too late for regrets now."

* * *

 _AN: And there goes Isaac. This one probably came as a huge surprise – the writing was on the wall that it would be Tyrenee getting eliminated in this episode instead, but Vi played her idol and is now in an extremely good position in a majority alliance with Sarah at her back. I suppose Isaac could be considered a smarter, less dickish, and overall more strategic version of Scott. By irony, as Scott used an idol to save himself, Isaac was eliminated because of one._

 _This is also the first new challenge of the season. Until now, all the challenges were repeats of challenges that were in the original Nightmare at Pahkitew Island, and this one would've been a mountain climbing episode._

* * *

 _ **Screaming Eagles**_

Sarah: The StratBot

Aiden: The Weakling

Wyvern: The Tourist

 _Cecilia: The Child Prodigy [22nd]_

Gray: The Nutcase

 _Rei: The Aggressive Genius [20th]_

Tyrenee: The Loner

 _Isaac: The Trailer King [15_ _th_ _] [Idoled]_

 _Antony: The Self-Glorious [16th]_

Oregon: The Adventurer

Vi: The Stoic

 **Killer Bears**

 _Van: The Cutthroat [19th]_

Diana: The Country Girl

Ayane: The Shy Girl

 _Seth: The Hacker [17th]_

 _Mili: The Desperate Foreigner [21st]_

Ryan: The Vanity Magnet

Paul: The Sarcastic One

Kiara: The Socially Anxious

 _Morrigan: The Creepy Girl [18th]_

Andrew: The Rich Heir

Seamus: The Student Athlete


	9. Episode 9 - Coconut Splashdown

_AN: Wow, I managed to complete this one pretty fast. This is probably the fastest I've ever come out with a chapter so far, only like a week or so. Take a shot for every use of the word coconut. Anyway, onto the reviews._

 _ **Zibster:**_ _You're right, Vi is in a really good position right now. A complete opposite compared to how she was with her old team. How long she can retain power remains to be seen…_

 _ **Guest1138:**_ _Actually, the intention was the base the episode off Finders Creepers. But that made me realize that their episode concepts are essentially the same._

* * *

 **Screaming Eagles:** Sarah, Gray, Wyvern, Tyrenee, Oregon, Aiden, Vi.

 **Killer Bears:** Andrew, Kiara, Ayane, Diana, Seamus, Ryan, Paul.

* * *

"Last time on Total Drama, the fifteen remaining campers went all out in a challenge hunting for the legendary swamp monster. In a twist that got spoiled early because of _someone's_ big mouth, Sugar turned out to be the monster. Which is just as scary. Anyway, both teams are slowly self-destructing. On the Killer Bears, it seems everyone is out to get everyone. Seamus is still targeting Ryan for suggesting he betray his own ally, Kiara and Andrew had a bit of a falling out, which was somewhat patched up at the end, and Paul is throwing everyone he can under the bus to try to save himself."

"The Screaming Eagles were even worse. After Tyrenee flipped to try to take out Antony in the last elimination, Wyvern began distrusting her and between the influences of Vi and Sarah, ended up targeting her as well. Unfortunately for him, he ended up wasting his vote as the real target ended up being Isaac, who was eliminated by a surprise idol play by Vi.

* * *

(Opening Theme)

* * *

As the Killer Bears returned back to camp, Ryan jogged up behind Ayane and grabbed onto her shoulder. "Hey," he said with a wink. "I'm really glad you've joined our team. I lowkey thought you were the prettiest girl on the island."

"Oh… it's you again," Ayane said as she rubbed her own shoulder.

"I would love to spend more time with you. Perhaps you would like to share your interests? I am very curious indeed to hear what someone as special as you would like."

Behind them, Paul mimed a gagging motion.

Andrew walked forward and began talking to Kiara. "What do you make of that?" he said. "It could be a problem if they start getting close. I have not anticipated a new vote floating around the team."

"Weird that he never flirted with the girls on this team," Kiara observed.

"I don't think so, none of you probably interested him. Mili had a language barrier, he was probably put off by Vi and Morrigan, Diana is probably too much of an amazon for his taste, and you're… you."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Kiara said bitterly.

"Not that you aren't attractive," Andrew said quickly. "Your personality can be a bit of a turnoff to someone who doesn't know you. That's all."

Kiara gave him a side-eye. "How encouraging."

"We're getting off topic," Andrew finished.

* * *

 **Confessional**

 **Ryan:** "It's true. Ayane _is_ the most attractive girl in the game. But I suppose that's not saying much for this season." He scratches the back of his head. "I dunno, that Cecil or whatever girl on the other team looked pretty cute. She was gone first though. Too bad."

 **Andrew:** "Kiara is erratic, irrational, paranoid, and easily angered. Not to mention _shy_ is thrown in that personality as well, so it makes it hard to get to know/trust her. But, for now, our interests match the closest, so that is who my ally will be. Perhaps I should try to have a conversation with her that isn't related to the game, but she's so unwilling to talk about herself that even that seems like a challenge. She _did_ lie about her last name in the truth or dare, after all."

 **Ayane:** "I've never really been called pretty before…"

 **Kiara:** "Um." She brushes her hair behind her ear. "Did Andrew just subtly call me attractive?"

 **Paul:** "Please shoot me."

* * *

Tyrenee pulled Vi aside after the vote. She crossed her arms and scoffed. "Weren't you supposed to be voting for Sarah? Why would you play an idol on her?"

"My apologies if that action has caused me to lose your trust, it was not my intention. It was quite unfortunate that I had to vote out Isaac. You have my deepest sympathies."

"Nobody held a gun to your head and made you do it," Tyrenee said.

"Answer me this," Vi began. "How far would you or Isaac have taken me into the merge considering both of you made it quite clear that you intend to work alone? Clearly one of the two of you would eventually turn on me for being the threat that I am."

"That sounds pretty conceited," Tyrenee responded. "What makes you think Sarah won't do the same?"

"Because I intend to ensure Sarah knows that she owes me for saving her from elimination," Vi told her. "But considering I am in a majority alliance of four now, I see no reason to continue speaking with you. Unless, perhaps, you would like to make a more intriguing deal than what I already have?"

"I don't," Tyrenee said bitterly. "You've lost that right."

* * *

 **Confessional**

 **Tyrenee:** She pinches the bridge of her nose. "I'm being too harsh on Vi, she's just playing the game. I can't forget I flipped once too. But this served as a wake-up call, I guess. Now that I'm stuck in the minority, there's only one way I can turn…"

* * *

The Killer bears finally arrived at their camp.

Ayane took a second and looked slightly shocked. "Um, you guys live in a cave?"

"Our shelter was destroyed by robots," Paul said bluntly.

"Oh…" Ayane said, putting her hands to her side.

Paul tugged on Seamus's shirt and pulled him away from the group. "Look, you're always talking about team unity or whatever, yeah?" Paul asked. "Well, if that's what you want I think it'd be in your best interest to get rid of newbie here as soon as possible. We all know she'll turn on us and go back to her old team as soon as she can."

Seamus looked thoughtful. "True. But what about Ryan?"

"Oh, get off it," Paul said seriously. "If you truly care about teamwork, you'll vote out the only person who _isn't_ one of us."

Seamus crossed his arms. "You don't have to be so rude about it!"

Paul pinched the bridge of his nose.

* * *

Morning eventually came on the Screaming Eagles team. Sarah and Tyrenee were notably absent from the shelter as the team started to rouse awake. Outside, near the edge of the forest, Tyrenee pulled Sarah aside.

"Look, I don't like you. I _really_ don't like you." Tyrenee said. "But I can see when I'm beaten. I'm not a threat, so all I ask is that you vote out Oregon and Wyvern before me. I'll swear I'll help you vote them out as long as you don't target me."

Sarah smirked. "Now that you're beaten, all you can do is resort to _begging_ now? Pathetic. Pathetic enough that I might consider keeping you around, though."

"God, you're insufferable," Tyrenee muttered in an annoyed tone.

"What was that?" Sarah said lifting an eyebrow.

"Nothing," Tyrenee dismissed.

Sarah started to turn and walk away into the forest. "Wait, where are you going?"

"Away," Sarah said curtly. "I'll be back later."

* * *

 **Confessional**

 **Tyrenee:** "At this point, I don't know if I'll be able to make the merge. I'm trying to be optimistic, but that isn't exactly my strong suit. Either way, if we lose I don't think Sarah will be targeting me first."`

 **Sarah:** "For the first time, _I'm_ in a position of power. It took too long for my alliance to reach a majority, by now I have final say in who goes home and who stays. NOTHING can stop me now!"

* * *

Kiara and Andrew sat alone by the fire as Ayane sat in the back of the cave at morning. Andrew made sure to talk low so that she couldn't hear.

"What do you plan to do with the idol?" Andrew asked. "Anything big planned like Vi? It'd be a shame to waste the last idol in the game."

"I-I haven't really decided," Kiara admitted slowly. "I half-regret taking the stupid thing. Part of me wants to sneak it back into Paul's bag, but that'd be giving him too much power than he needs. I'll probably just play it on myself if I ever need to."

"Of course, you _do_ realize that once you do play it will be obvious you're the thief?" Andrew pointed out. "The heat on you will be even greater then."

"…I know." She said as she stared listlessly at the ground. "About what you said about my personality… you don't think I'm a shitty person, do you?"

Andrew raised an eyebrow. "Where's this coming from?"

"Ah, f-forget I said anything!" Kiara suddenly stood back up and retreated deeper in the cave.

* * *

 **Confessional**

 **Andrew:** "Honestly, I think Kiara just throws darts to figure out what mood she's in. Today's winner is 'self-loathing'." Andrew gives the camera a slight frown. "Perhaps I should be a listening ear. It is true that I need her to trust me more."

* * *

Gray and Vi were inside the Screaming Eagle's shelter.

Gray whistled to herself. "Sooooooo what did you want to talk about? Surely you don't think someone as simple-minded as I could have interesting things to say about the game, riiiiiight?!"

Vi raised a finger up in the air. "I was meaning to ask what the exact nature of your relationship to Sarah is. Why would someone so opposite to her choose to be her ally. It is a question that certainly plagues my mind, and I wish to hear it from you."

"Sarah has a big, prickly cactus up her butt. It's way up in there. Way up." Gray responded. "Buuuut, I've been helping her pull it out and not blow up her own game. In return, she absorbs all the votes so I can just lounge around and goof-off."

"Would you say you are loyal to her?" Vi asked.

Gray reached out a finger and touched Vi's forehead. "Poke."

"If a member of the Killer Bears were to, say, offer you a final three deal in return for eliminating Sarah, would you follow through?" she continued.

"Nah, I think the other team looks like a bunch of poo-heads." The girl began swaying from side to side. "Besides, I can't abandon Sarah in her time of need. There's Scarlett in her blood and I'm, like, the bleach to get it out."

"A manic pixie dream girl," Vi realized.

"I do admit to being all three of those things," Gray said. "But what do they mean together?"

"It is a common trope in literature and film, I suppose. The energetic, quirky female often gets paired with the serious, uptight male and teaches him to loosen up. In your case, you are being paired with Sarah.

Gray grabbed Vi's cheeks and squished them together. "Squish squish." She cocked her head to the side. "My turn to ask the questions. You mad at your team for pretty much voting you out. I mean, I'd probably be torching their bodies right now."

"I like to believe I am above such petty things as grudges," Vi admitted.

"Do you even have emotions? Do you ever feel annoyed?" Gray asked. She began repeatedly prodding Vi's head with her finger. "Do you? Doyoudoyoudotyou. Poke. Poke. Poke. Poke. Poke. Poke. Poke."

Vi continued to sit perfectly still until Gray got bored.

"Ugh, Oh my Goooood, you're so duuuuulll!" Gray whined. She flopped to the ground face down.

* * *

 **Confessional**

 **Gray:** "I think Vi's my _real_ polar opposite. At first I thought she was kinda cool because, like, she reminded me of Dawn somewhat. But now she's pulling strategy out her butt and she won't even react to my antics so she's an even StratButt than Sarah." She chuckles to herself. " _StratButt."_

 **Vi:** "I wonder if Sarah knows she is unwittingly protecting possibly the biggest social threat in the game?" She looked down in thought. "You may find it odd to refer to her as that, but I cannot recall anyone on this team actually being enemies with her."

* * *

Gray walked toward Aiden by the river slumped forward with her arms dangling in front of her.

"Aiden, I'm boooored."

"Oh, um, sorry Gray," Aiden apologized. "What do you want to do?"

Gray laid on the ground on her back and spread out like a snow angel. "Unbore me."

"How?"

Gray raised back up and leaned forward.

Beat.

"Wanna make out?"

"…Sure."

Gray practically tackled Aiden to the ground and took him in for a kiss. Tyrenee stood some distance away and watched. "This is too getting weird," she muttered to herself. Gray pulled Aiden into the river. "Gross," Tyrenee cringed.

* * *

 **Confessional**

 **Gray:** "Haha, I beat Oregon to first base. Suck it, neeeeeerd!" she shouts.

 **Aiden:** "Nobody at home thought I could get a girl to like me, but I showed them! And she's pretty hot too!" He suddenly winces to himself. "I only hope she doesn't burn my parents alive when I show her to them."

 **Tyrenee:** "I'm scarred for life."

* * *

Oregon stood over the edge of the cliff next to the waterfall when Wyvern approached from behind.

"Look, dude," Wyvern said. "Remember how I said we're in this alliance? Well, I think it's time to work together. It's obvious Sarah's gonna target either me, you, or Tyrenee next, and we need to make sure it's neither me or you."

"You kinda forced that on me, man," Oregon said. "Besides, I don't think Sarah will be going after me. I'm the only remotely athletic person left here, it'd be suicide to vote me out."

"Umm… speaking of, what are you doing at the edge of the cliff?" Wyvern asked.

"Do you think it's safe to dive down into the water down there?" Oregon asked. "I've been looking for a thrill, and I've always wanted to dive off a waterfall."

Wyvern scratched the back of his neck. "Well, I guess the cliff from Island was safe, right? This is, like, half its height so I guess it's okay? Just watch out for sharp rocks."

Oregon leaned over the edge. "Looks deep to me."

"Still," Wyvern said awkwardly.

Suddenly, Aiden and Gray drifted by in the water and fell off down the waterfall. The two boys both peered over the cliff.

"That just happened. Think they're okay?" Wyvern asked, blinking twice.

"Only one way to find out!" Oregon cheered. He jumped off the cliff and splashed down into the water below. "Wooooooooo!" His voice slowly trailed off as he fell.

Wyvern gulped.

* * *

 **Confessional**

 **Oregon:** "I'm not worried. Sarah's not dumb enough to vote out the only source of physical strength on the team, no matter what kind of grudge she might have against me. Vi wouldn't let it happen either, so I'm safe until the merge. Then, I can just join up with Diana's group."

* * *

Kiara crawled up and sat next to Ayane in the cave.

Ayane gave her a look. "U-Um, hey. You're that Kiara girl, right?" she asked.

"Uh, yeah," Kiara agreed. "I… uh… I don't remember your name. S-Sorry."

"It's okay," the girl said lightly. "It's Ayane. Sometimes I wondered if the people on my team remembered either…"

"… Jeez," Kiara said, taken aback. "Don't be so hard on yourself."

"S-Sorry," Ayane squeaked. "I didn't mean to bring the mood down."

"It's not big deal," Kiara said. "Hey, uh, you and I are pretty similar, I guess. I-If you want, you can join my alliance with Andrew. Er, we're planning to ditch Paul."

Ayane pursed her lips. "You really want me in your alliance?" she said with a slight smile. "I won't really help in challenges… I was scared I might go first, but I guess people wanted the big threats gone…"

"We've got Seamus and Diana," Kiara said. "I'm not so worried about challenges."

Ayane reached on and grabbed Kiara's shoulder. "Thank you."

Kiara instinctively recoiled. "Don't touch!" she shouted.

* * *

 **Confessional**

 **Kiara:** "Maybe if Paul goes I'll finally get over myself," she tells the camera.

* * *

Chris was standing on Hatchet beach where around him were two archery targets and two stone bowls located to his right and left on the ground. Chef Hatchet was near the water dumping wagon loads of coconuts into the water. Chris blew an airhorn that sounded throughout the island, then pulled up a megaphone. "Listen up guys, everyone head to Hatchet Beach. We're having a water-based challenge today, so I hope you all can swim!"

* * *

The Killer Bears started making their way over to the beach through the forest.

"This kinda sucks for me..." Kiara said softly. "I-I'm not really much of a strong swimmer."

"All the more reason to vote you out after we lose!" Paul spat.

Kiara grit her teeth to herself.

"Shut up, Paul," Andrew said calmly.

"Oh, I see how it is," Paul said with a smirk. "You have to defend your girlfriend, right? Don't think I didn't notice."

"I'm pretty sure she was closer to Van," Ryan chimed in.

Kiara shot him an unnoticed glare. " _What_?"

"I'm just saying," Ryan said. He trotted closer to Ayane and wrapped an arm around her. "Speaking of close, it is a water challenge, yes? I'd be interested to see you in a swimsuit."

Ayane looked down at the ground. "Oh…"

"Okay, stop it," Diana said firmly. "You're making us _all_ real uncomfortable."

* * *

 **Confessional**

 **Kiara:** "Me? Like Van? I spend my dreams fantasizing about _mutilating_ that asshat for daring to hit me!"

* * *

Oregon, Aiden, and Gray all came up to the top of the Screaming Eagle's cliff dripping wet from where they had gone into the river.

"Are we all ready to got?" Oregon asked as he arrived.

"Not quite," Tyrenee said. "We're still missing Sarah. She ran off earlier to do God knows what."

"What do we do, just wait on her here?" Oregon asked.

"No need, I heard the call." Sarah walked into the area from the woods. "I'm ready to go right now."

"Where were you at?" Tyrenee asked.

"That's none of your concern," Sarah refused.

"Well, I'm certainly glad your back!" Gray beamed.

* * *

 **Confessional**

 **Sarah:** "I'm surprised Gray didn't say something dumb like accuse me of raiding her stash of cocaine or something. I'm honestly impressed."

 **Gray:** "She was probably out raiding my secret cocaine stash."

* * *

The Screaming Eagles were the last team to arrive at the beach. Beside him was two targets with podiums housing a bow and arrow in from of them.

"Are we doing archery?" Wyvern asked as he saw the podiums. "I thought you said we'd be swimming?"

"Listen up and I'll explain," Chris said harshly. "Your first challenge comes in two parts," the host began. "First, you'll pick three members of your team to shoot at the targets with a bow and arrow. Hitting the center will earn you five points, the middle ring will earn you three, and the outer ring will earn just one."

Aiden raised his hand. "What if we miss entirely?"

"Then you don't get any, dumdum," Chris deadpanned. "Each member of your team you pick only gets one shot, so make it count. The team with the highest score gets an advantage in the second part of the challenge." The host started walking toward the water and picked a coconut out of the waves. "You will all be racing into the water the collect these coconuts, some of which have precious gems in them, some of which do not." He threw it on the rock, and it split open to reveal several pink-tinted gemstones. "You'll have one hour to collect as much as you can. By then, the team with the heaviest bowl full of gems wins the challenge." Chris started grinning sadistically. "Of course, as per Total Drama tradition, I've laid out some nice and painful booby traps out in the water too, so you might wanna be careful about that."

He looked at the gems laid out at his feet and turned to Chef. "Can you clean this junk up?"

Chef Hatchet grumbled something and starting picking them up individually. Chris moved up back to the targets. "Both teams, pick your shooters."

"I'll volunteer!" Diana said immediately.

"So will I," Oregon added.

Andrew nudged Seamus forward. "You're the strongest, get up there."

"Yeah, but I don't think that has to do with shooting a bow," Seamus refuted.

"Neither of us have either," Andrew said.

Seamus sighed. "Fine, I'll do it. For the team."

"I'll do it too," Kiara finished for the Bears. "To make up for the fact I can't help much with the real challenge."

"I volunteer," Sarah said.

"Me too!" Gray cheered.

"And there's our shooters," Chris said. "Since they volunteered first, Diana and Oregon will start us off."

* * *

 **Confessional**

 **Seamus:** "It's nice to finally have a challenge where we're not all splitting up and doing our own thing. Though I've never shot a bow before…"

 **Diana:** "I wonder how good Oregon is with a bow?" She giggles to herself. "I've been practicing all my life. This is _my_ challenge."

* * *

Diana and Oregon took their spots in front of their respective targets.

"Good luck," Diana grinned. "Just so you know, I don't plan on taking it easy on you."

"Wouldn't have it any other way."

The two teens shot, and both of their arrows landed on the target. Chris gave them a close look. "That's five points for the Bears," he said seeing as Diana hit the center of the target. "And Oregon hit the middle ring, so three points to them."

"Not bad," Diana said. "But not good enough to beat me."

"That must be in your blood or something," Oregon shrugged off.

Sarah scoffed. "Give me a break."

"I'll say," Paul agreed.

"Seamus and Sarah are up next!" Chris said. "Come on up!"

The next two archers stood in front of their targets side by side. Both of them held their bows more awkwardly than the previous two archers.

"Uh, how do I hold this thing?" Seamus faltered.

"Pull it back!" Diana informed.

Sarah heard the instructions as well and copied Seamus's stance. Both of them fired their bows at their targets… once again, both arrows hit their targets, but just barely. "One each!" Chris announced. "The Bears are in the lead with six while the Eagles have four!"

"Sorry, I tried to help the team as much I could," Seamus apologized.

"Good try," Diana consoled. "We still got the lead."

Sarah stomped her feet as she left the area. "My bow was weighted wrong or something, this challenge is rigged," she frowned.

"Last up, Kiara and Gray," Chris said.

* * *

 **Confessional**

 **Kiara:** "It was up to me… I-I have to say, I was worried. Gray is kinda like Izzy, I guess. Who knows what random skills she has up her sleeve."

* * *

It seemed Gray had no trouble managing the weapon, while Kiara held it quite awkwardly, especially since it almost seemed the bow was larger than she was. Gray waited for Kiara to shoot. The small girl pulled back on her bow, and fired…

… and the shot missed the target entirely.

"Shoot," Kiara muttered to herself.

"If Gray can get a bulls-eye or score a three, the Screaming Eagles will win!" Chris announced. "The pressure is on!"

"Don't screw it up," Sarah threatened.

Gray smirked to herself silently and turned toward Chris. She aimed and let go of the arrow, which certainly would have hit Chris had he not dodged at the last second. "Yo, what the heck!" Chris gasped. "Just for that, I'm docking the Eagles a point."

"I wasn't actually gonna hit you!" Gray said. "It was just a joke, chill out!"

"Either way, the Killer Bears win and get an advantage in the challenge – a machete!" Chris said as he took a small machete out of his pocket. "This bad boy will help you open any coconut! Eagles… for trying to _shoot_ me, you all get nothing!"

Chris went behind a rock and pulled out a large trunk.

"Everyone, these are your swimsuits. Go ahead and change into them for the challenge, you all can take them with you after your done for future water challenges!"

* * *

 **Confessional**

 **Ryan:** "This is a great time to show off my abs!" He flexes. "Oh yeeeeah!"

* * *

"Okaaaaay," Chris said as the cast returned from changing. "Looks like not everyone is in the beach party move."

Everyone looked to Kiara, who hadn't changed into a swimsuit.

"W-What?" Kiara said. "It's not like I'll be going into the _deep_ water…"

"You should expose yourself more," Ryan encouraged. "You would probably look great in a swimsuit."

"Ugh, anything's worse keeping _you_ away from me," Kiara refused.

"… Moving on, as I said you all will have one hour to find the gems stashed in the coconuts." Chris placed the machete in the Killer Bear's bowl. "Your time starts… NOW!"

The fourteen contestants all ran into the lake.

Diana and Oregon followed each other into the deep water where they couldn't touch the ground. Diana dived down beneath the surface and quickly. "Nothing," she said.

"Think we might be too far out?" Oregon asked.

"Shoot, I dunno," Diana considered.

Oregon moved laterally to her and dived down himself. He rose back to the surface with a coconut in hand. "See you," he saluted as he started swimming back to shore.

"Dang," Diana muttered.

* * *

Vi reached down around the middle of the water and pulled a coconut out of the water. She held the fruit beside her ear and shook it. It made a rattling sound and she turned to leave, satisfied.

Wyvern gave the stoic an odd look. "Why'd you shake it?" he asked.

"I believe Chris mentioned that only some of these contained gems," she answered. "I was ensuring that I was not about to waste my time carrying an empty one."

"Smart," Wyvern agreed.

Oregon waded past the two of them holding his coconut as well. "We've got two guys, I think we're in the lead!"

"It is too early to call," Vi reminded. "Ensure that yours has gems in it by shaking it before you potentially waste your time."

Oregon did the same motion as Vi and found that his had a rattle to it too.

* * *

 **Confessional**

 **Vi:** "Of course, though we may be collecting more than the other team, we still lack an effective means of opening the coconuts."

* * *

Ayane walked through the shallow part of the water. She took a step and found that there was something hard beneath her. She reached down and unburried to object from the sand to find that it was another coconut. She held it in her hand and weighed it.

"I guess this is nice," she said to nobody in particular.

Just then, Seamus walked past with at least five coconuts held in his arms. Ayane looked shocked as he passed. "Coming through!" he announced.

* * *

Oregon and Vi arrived at the Screaming Eagles' bowl.

The adventurer took a small rock and started trying to use it to carve into the coconut as hard as he could. Vi waited patiently for her turn with the rock until she glanced over at the Killer Bears' bowl.

"Actually, I have an idea that may prove to be somewhat more effective," she said. She walked over to the other team's bowl and pulled out there machete. "How unwise of them to leave their items unattended."

She returned and handed the machete over to Oregon. He took it and gave the fruit a good smack with and. It split open and spilled its contents, which turned out to just be a bunch of grey rocks. "Crap," Oregon said.

"Interesting, it would appear the ones that are to be empty are filled with rocks to ensure that shaking them will not be an effective means to determine their contents."

Vi took the machete for herself and started trying to open hers up, but she wasn't strong enough to do it.

"Here," Oregon said. He took the machete and opened hers, and it turned out to be several multicolored gemstones which spilled out into the sand. The two of them carefully placed them into the teams bowl.

Seamus arrived on scene shortly after and noticed the two were using their machete. "That's ours!" he shouted. "How unsportsmanlike! It's downright cheating if you ask me!"

"Sorry," Oregon said genuinely. "Just couldn't find anything else."

Oregon handed Seamus the machete back and then he followed Vi back into the water. Shortly after, Ayane made it as well. Seamus bent over and started cracking into his coconuts – one filled with rocks, one with gems, another with rocks, and another with gems. Then, he finally got into his last one.

He hit as hard as he could with the machete, and it suddenly exploded into white dust that covered Seamus from head to toe.

He immediately felt the urge to scratch his back.

Chris chuckled. "Say hello to the itching powder for me! Hahaha!"

Seamus dropped the machete and ran into the lake scratching himself desperately. "Help meee!" he screamed as he ran into the water.

Ayane tentatively took the machete and started swinging at the coconut in a desperate attempt to open it.

* * *

 **Confessional**

 **Ayane:** "It took forever to get it open without anyone around to help me," she sighs.

* * *

Sarah confronted Kiara in the shallow water.

Sarah crossed her arms. "I see you haven't done what we talked about," she remarked. "You understand the terms of our deal, right? You have until the merge to separate them."

"I get it," Kiara said shortly.

She nearly tripped over something in the water, and then pulled out one of the coconuts. Kiara started heading back, but then Sarah reached over and pulled it away from Kiara.

"Hey! That's mine!" Kiara cried.

"Not anymore," Sarah said smugly.

* * *

Diana was still out in the deep area of the water still searching around where Oregon had found his coconut.

Andrew waded after her. "Find anything?"

"Not yet," Diana sighed. "Still trying – wait, I think I stepped on one." The country girl went down underwater and found one of the coconuts wedged between two rocks. She grabbed hold of it while holding her breath.

She pulled it free, and the water began to bubble. A huge water geyser blasted her up in the air screaming. Andrew followed her arc as she fell back into the water.

She rose back up the surface and coughed up water. "Shoot, he wasn't kidding when he said traps."

Diana reached back into the water and grabbed the coconut she dropped.

"You okay there?" Andrew questioned.

"Relax, I'm fine," Diana said and pushed forward.

* * *

Sarah managed to return to the bowl with her stolen coconut. Ayane was still beside her team's bowl desperately trying to open hers.

Sarah saw that she had nothing to open with, then looked to Ayane and smirked. Sarah held her hands behind her back and bent over, smiling sweetly. "Hi Ayane, you're still loyal to your old team, right?"

"Uh… I guess so," Ayane replied awkwardly.

"Cool," Sarah said. "Why don't you hand over the machete to me? There doesn't have to be a fight, you know?"

Ayane looked at the machete, then to Sarah. She sighed and extended her hand. "Here."

"Thanks!" Sarah said. She then looked toward the Bear's bowl filled with gems. With the machete in one hand, she bent down and picked up their bowl and took it to her team's.

She dumped the contents out into her bowl then tossed it aside.

Ayane just shuffled in place awkwardly.

Sarah eventually got to opening her coconut only to find that it was filled with rocks. She placed the machete back in her team's bowl and started heading back to the ocean.

She passed Gray on the way who was holding a coconut in either hand.

"You're on guard duty," Sarah commanded. "Make sure they don't do to us what I did to them."

Gray saluted. "Kewl."

* * *

 **Confessional**

 **Ayane:** "I don't think I'd be able to stop her anyway."

 **Sarah:** "Don't think I didn't see Oregon give the Bear's machete back after he used it, because I did. This is a _challenge_ , and we're coming off our second loss in a row. We have to pull out all the stop to win," she says pounding her fists.

 **Gray:** "I'm on guard duty!" she cheers happily. "Heheheheh… _duty_. Such a funny word."

* * *

Andrew and Kiara searched the water together looking for a coconut.

"I talked to Ayane," she said. "I-I think she's okay with voting out Paul. We know Diana is good for it too… so there's that."

"I still don't agree with that elimination, but if that is what you believe will keep suspicion off of you. Though, keep in mind that in Paul's mind it was just confirmed that Vi is the one who stole it. It's a perfect opportunity to vote out Ayane, considering she's not helping in challenges. I saw her struggle with the coconut."

"…To be fair, I'd struggle too," Kiara reminded. "And don't think I don't know you wouldn't either."

"True," Andrew acknowledged. "She's also likely to flip back to the other team after the merge, though."

"I dunno," Kiara considered. "I think she was kinda on the outs over there. She might stick with us if we're nice enough to her."

"It's risky."

Silence.

Andrew sighed. "I'm sorry a basically blackmailed you yesterday. If you really want to vote me out, I won't say anything about your idol." A moment passed and he crossed his arms. "That's not an invitation to do that though."

"I wasn't planning on it," Kiara promised.

Andrew picked a coconut out of the water.

"Oh, you found one?" she asked.

Andrew nodded and headed back to shore.

* * *

On the way back to shore, Diana passed Seamus scratching himself while submerged in the water.

"Dude, you alright?" she asked with concern.

"It'll go away… eventually," he said desperately trying to get rid of the itch. "Ugghhh."

"Good luck, man," Diana cheered as continued on to shore.

* * *

Diana got back to her team's bowl only to find that it was completely empty and some distance away from where it was supposed to be and her team's machete was missing. Ayane was sitting cross-legged in the sand rolling a coconut back and forth.

Diana lifted an eyebrow. "The heck happened here? Where's our machete?"

"Sarah took it," Ayane whimpered.

"And where are our gems?" Diana asked.

"Sarah took them," she repeated.

"And _why_ are you just sitting there doing nothing?" Diana finished.

"I can't figure out how to crack it open," Ayane said guiltily. "I-I'm sorry!"

"… That's okay," Diana struggled. "I'm sure you tried your best. I'll settle this." The girl marched over to where Gray was guarding her bowl.

"Okay, I don't want any trouble, but you have to understand that your teammate did a very bad thing. If you want this game to be fair, you'll give us back our machete," Diana offered.

"Hmmmm," Gray considered, swaying side to side. "My-Shay-Tee? I don't know what that means."

"Sarah stole our machete, it'd be real kind of you to give it back," Diana said. "It's a sword-looking thing made of metal. It's right at your feet."

"I'm sorry ma'am, I'm having trouble understanding you," Gray said with a smirk. "Can you repeat your order?"

"You have. Our. Machete," Diana enunciated.

"Try to talk more goodly," Gray chirped.

Diana gave Gray a glare. "Are you trying to make fun of my accent?"

"God, I hope not," Gray teased. "That would be very rude of me."

"Look, I really don't wanna have to take it by force," Diana said in exasperation.

"Dang. Awkieeeees." Gray rocked on her heels. She reached down and picked up the weapon and gave it a few swings. "I mean, you're certainly free to try. But, um, I'm pretty sure I can turn you into some metaphorical bacon with this."

"Is that a threat?" Diana scoffed.

"No," Gray said. "It was a metaphor."

Diana stood there and blinked rapidly. "You know what? Keep it. You're giving me a headache."

"Wow, that totally roxxorz," Gray cheered. She cocked her head at Diana. "You okay? You look like you're about to have a stroke."

Diana sighed and grabbed her teams bowl and dragged it back where it belongs. "I'm just gonna go over here and guard so this crapshow doesn't happen again."

Andrew made it over with his coconut. "What's going on?"

"Um… I'm not really sure," Ayane squeaked.

"The other team is really weird," Diana said. "Anyway, let's figure out a way to get these coconuts cracked!"

* * *

 **Confessional**

 **Gray:** She snickers to herself. "Ain't I a stinker?"

* * *

Diana was trying to break the coconuts she got from Andrew and Ayane on a bit of exposed rock on the beach.

Gray gave her a smug look while sitting beside her bowl. "You know, that'd be a lot easier with a machete."

"I bet," Diana droned.

"So what was Vi on your team? I don't recall hearing about her pulling gamey bullshit out of her butthole over there."

"Wouldn't you like to know?" Diana smirked.

"Harsh," Gray said. She picked up one of the gems from the bowl and looked at it carefully. "Yo, I wonder how much cha-ching I can get out of this shizz!"

"Maybe you should take some with you to find out," Diana suggested.

Gray snorted. "Maybe I will!"

* * *

Aiden fished through the middle area trying to get a hold of a coconut but to no luck. He unhappily trudged around trying to see through the murky water.

"I wish Gray were here," he muttered to himself.

Sarah walked up to Aiden holding a coconut in her hand. "I need you to take this to the bowl – I'm a more efficient searcher than you, and I don't need to waste my time going back and forth anymore."

Aiden scratched the back of his neck. "Why don't I just take the coconuts back and forth for the rest of the game? Gray's over there, so she can crack them when I deliver, right?"

"Actually, that's a pretty good plan," Sarah agreed. She handed off the coconut. "Well, get to it!"

Aiden ran off and headed to the bowl area.

Vi had beat him there, arriving just moments before he did with a coconut of her own. She saw Gray burying gems in the sand.

"May I ask what it is that you are doing?" Vi said.

"Burying gems," Gray answered as she began covering them with her legs as if she were a dog. "I'm gonna dig 'em back up after we're changed again. Put 'em in my bag. Then, after the game's over, I'll sell them on E-Bay or something."

"That would be genius were these not made of plastic," Vi informed.

"Shit, they are?" Gray said in surprise.

Vi nodded. She dropped her coconut off then Aiden did the same. "Hi Gray!" he beamed.

"Hello!" Gray beamed back.

After Vi and Aiden left, Ryan arrived with two coconuts in either hand and found Diana struggling to get the coconuts open on the exposed rock. "Figuring stuff out?" he said, amused.

"Trying to," she said distractedly. The next swing at the rock ended up splitting the coconut in half and spilling out gems. "Aha! Gotcha! I'll show the other team that it pays to play fair yet!" she cheered.

Ryan tossed her the coconuts. "Good luck with that."

Diana saw the line of coconuts she still had to split by hand and cursed.

* * *

 **Confessional**

 **Vi:** "It may become worth convincing Sarah to turn on either Gray or Aiden. I admit, I do not like that Gray is not only a social threat but has a permanent vote on her side in the form of Aiden.

 **Diana:** She is sweating profusely. "It's a lotta work to keep swinging those things."

* * *

Seamus passed Andrew as he made a return trip from the water still scratching on his arms and back.

"You don't have any coconuts, where are you going?" Andrew asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I'm just gonna sit this out, I can't get rid of this itch. I've tried everything, washing it off, scratching, _not_ scratching. It won't. Go. Away," Seamus said.

"That's fine," Andrew said. "Have you seen what's going on over there? I have a feeling we won't be winning anyway…"

* * *

Chris walked between the two team's bowls and examined each one. Diana had finished opening all the coconuts given to her and Aiden was running back and forth transporting his team's coconuts to the bowl.

"The Screaming Eagles are currently in the lead, but the Killer Bears are starting to slowly catch up. It's the final ten minutes, and they're gonna have to pick up the pace if they want to win," Chris announced.

Suddenly, a loud explosion came from the water and Andrew was blasted from the water and all the way to the beach face first.

"Shit," Diana muttered in concern.

Andrew held his face in pain as he was bleeding from his nose significantly.

"Ew, explosions?" Gray moaned. "That's tacky, even for you."

Chris gave Andrew a concerned look. "Hey, you're not gonna sue, right?"

Andrew shook his head.

"Good," Chris said smugly.

* * *

 **Confessional**

 **Andrew:** He sneezed, then winced in pain. "Ow. Seamus and Diana are lucky they don't have to search the water anymore."

* * *

Diana worked on her latest batch of coconuts while Seamus still scratched on his back.

"Have you thought about who we're gonna vote out next?" Diana asked while trying to crack them open. "And please don't say Ryan."

"Paul talked to me-" He was about to say before being cut off by Diana.

"Paul talked to you?" Diana asked. "No offense, but he's been trying to save himself since we ended alliances."

"I know, I know. But what he said made sense. Ayane isn't an original member of this team, and it's best for all of us if she goes is what he said," Seamus told her. "Plus, she's likely to stay loyal to her old team."

"I'm… surprisingly okay with that," Diana said. "Don't get me wrong, I think Ayane is a real sweet girl. But she might not be cut out for this."

"So, is that the plan?" Seamus asked.

"It's a deal," Diana said.

She finished splitting her last coconut and spilled the gems into the bowl.

* * *

 **Confessional**

 **Diana:** "Ayane doesn't know us as much as she knows her old team. Who's to say she won't turn on us after the merge?"

* * *

"Alright campers, time is up!" Chris announced. Chef brought a large set of scales with him to the beach. "We're gonna weigh your gems, which ever side is heavier will win immunity. And make sure the _only_ things in your bowls are gems. No cheating.

The Screaming Eagles and Killer Bears dumped their gems into either side of the scale. Their weighs were surprisingly close given what happened, but ultimately one side was heavier than the other.

"… The Screaming Eagles win immunity!" Chris announced. "Killer Bears, one of the seven of you will be sent packing tonight. Good luck!"

"Damn it," Paul cursed.

"Only because the other team cheated!" Seamus accused with a scratch of his back.

"I know, sucks to suck. Shoulda been more careful. BUT! Someone gets to pay for your mistake tonight!"

* * *

 **Confessional**

 **Paul:** "I don't think I have to repeat that there's a chance I'm going home tonight. My only chance is to throw Ayane under the bus as hard as possible."

 **Sarah:** "Like I said, by any means necessary," she says darkly.

* * *

Andrew and Kiara met at a hidden alcove a little distance away from the team's cave. Andrew leaned up against the rock his nose still red.

"So Paul's still going?" Andrew asked.

"Er… w-we should probably talk about your injury." Kiara gave him a skeptical look. "Are you really alright? That was quite a hard fall."

"I didn't get much air," Andrew confessed.

"… Right," Kiara said. She quickly returned to the original subject. "Yeah. Still Paul."

"Does Ryan know?" Andrew asked. "Considering he's been trying to get close to Ayane, I'm sure he wouldn't want to vote her out."

"He was there for the meeting where we all agreed on Paul, but I guess it wouldn't hurt to remind him," Kiara said. "I told Ayane earlier today, too."

Silence.

"Er, I've been meaning to ask… you mentioned your family was flat broke at that truth or dare challenge. I mean, you wouldn't mind telling me what happened, would you. I-I mean, I don't mean to pry, I was just kinda curious after I heard it.

"It's nothing worth talking about," Andrew shrugged. "What about you? What's your home life like?"

"… I'm not really sure you'd believe me if I told you," Kiara admitted.

* * *

 **Confessional**

 **Kiara:** "Considering I'm the daughter of the de facto rulers of my country… does that technically make me a princess? Dictator's daughter doesn't sound very welcoming… Well, they're not really welcoming either." Kiara pauses for a second to think. "Er, n-not that I'd know by experience. I just heard about bad stuff they did."

* * *

"Ryan," Andrew greeted as he met with the lover boy.

"Yeah?" Ryan responded back.

"I should assume I don't need to remind you we're voting for Paul right now," Andrew said.

"Seeing as how the only other option is Ayane, I wasn't planning on anything else," Ryan assured.

"… You know she'll never go out with you," Andrew informed.

"She'll wear down eventually," Ryan remarked. "Shy girls are easy like that. You should try it with Kiara. It works, I promise.

"That's honestly pretty creepy," Andrew said. "And I'm pretty sure Kiara would just snap at me again if I started harassing her about a relationship."

"…You didn't say you weren't interested," Ryan smirked.

"I'm not interested," Andrey said flatly.

* * *

 **Confessional**

 **Ryan:** "Kiara's not my cup of tea, but those two are glued at the hip. Don't think I don't see what's going on."

* * *

Sarah followed Vi into the forest.

"So you said you wanted to talk to me about something?" Sarah asked.

"Indeed," Vi nodded. "I was reminded of your relation to Scarlett and I came to realize that you are here to prove that you and her are not one in the same. I was just considering your past behavior and the way the team treats and I was thinking that you weren't doing a very good job of it."

"Well, that's a load of bull," Sarah scoffed. "Ever since Scarlett's breakdown, the media has been hounding my family thinking we're a bunch of violent sociopaths. I'm here to prove I'm not a violent psychopath. I don't care whether people think I'm nice or not."

"Either way, I believe you owe me after I saved you yesterday, yes?" Vi asked. "A guarantee you will not target me at least far into the merge would be a way to cement the trust I helped build."

"Sure, you've got a deal. I don't care whether you stay or go anyway," Sarah said. "That all."

"Actually, I wanted to make a second offer to you," Vi continued. "I believe Gray to be the biggest social threat in the game and it concerns me that you are protecting her. She already has a guaranteed vote in her favor from Aiden, too."

"Are you suggesting I vote out Gray?"

"Or Aiden," Vi supposed. "She has too much power. She either needs to go or lose her ally."

"Aiden's my ally too. Ultimately, he will listen to _me_ because I have all the power in this game."

"I am not so sure about that," Vi said. "Just consider what I said."

"I'll consider it," Sarah said. "But I don't have to like it."

* * *

 **Confessional**

 **Vi:** "That did not go over as well as I had hoped, but she will see the light in my reasoning soon enough. Aiden does not need to be eliminated immediately.

* * *

Paul confronted Ryan in the back of the cave.

"Look," Paul scoffed. "I know you're trying to get into Ayane's pants right now. Or kimono, I suppose. But you've gotta see that she's holding us back," he argued.

"I dunno, I haven't had an opportunity like this in a while."

"I get it, she's really pretty. But she sucks at challenges," he said. "And we all _know_ where she'll be after the merge. Don't throw the game just because of a dumb girl."

"Who's left after her, though?" Ryan considered. "Tyrenee? What kind of name is that anyway?"

"A dumb one," Paul said. "Look, I need to know if you're in or not."

"I'll consider it," Ryan answered.

* * *

 **Confessional**

 **Ryan:** "Pretty girl… or a million dollars. It's a harder choice than I'd like to admit."

* * *

The Killer Bears all gathered at the campfire ceremony on stumps.

Seamus finally stopped scratching himself.

Chris greeted them as they took their seats."That extra number you got didn't last long, did it?" he chuckled. "Soon enough, you guys will return to being a team of six. So guys, how is it having Ayane on the team?"

"She's sweet, but I don't think she adds much," Diana replied.

"S-Sorry," Ayane apologized.

Kiara crossed her arms. "Neither do I, really," she admitted. "Or Andrew. Or Paul. But we're still here, so I think it's only fair we give her a chance."

"I know you guys better than her," Diana answered. "Plus, I think you have enough fight in you to at least object to Sarah stealing our stuff."

"T-True..." Kiara admitted.

"Well then, let's get on with the vote," Chris declared. "Andrew, since you're first in the alphabet, why don't you start us off?"

* * *

Chris walked in with a plate of six marshmallows. "The votes are tallied, time to get on with the elimination ceremony. The following players are _not_ going home today… Kiara," he started.

Kiara breathed a sigh of relief as she caught her marshmallow.

"Seamus and Ryan," he continued.

"Thank you, Chris," Ryan said.

"Diana is safe."

The country girl smiled lightly as she caught her marshmallow then popped it into her mouth.

"Finally, Andrew is the last person to not receive any votes," Chris said. There was only one marshmallow left on his plate. "Paul and Ayane, one of you two is about to be eliminated. The final marshmallow goes to…!"

"The tension is killing me," Ryan interjected.

"Shut up, Ryan," Chris glared. "The final marshmallow goes to… Ayane. Paul, really sucks to be you."

"Wow, really guys?" Paul deadpanned. "You _really_ wanted to keep her over me?" He stood up and started walking down toward the new Dock of Shame. "This is hardly fair, if Vi hadn't stolen my idol I coulda still been in this. I would have _won!"_

"Sure you would," Chris shrugged. "But as it stands, you've come in fourteenth place.

Paul disappeared down the path toward the dock, giving his team the middle finger along the way.

What seemed like an earthquake rumbled as a giant mushroom cloud appeared in the distance. A television screen suddenly rose from the ground and turned on, showing a robot onscreen. It looked just the same as the other one, only cleaner and less ruined.

"Mass production is online, all trespassers to Pahkitew Island will be exterminated! This is your first and final warning! Scarlett will not escape us!"

"What the heck is going on, here!" Chris shouted.

"You have allowed a security breach, Chris McLean! Little do you know one of your contestants that you have brought to this island is plotting to free our prisoner!" the robot shouted in a mechanical voice.

Five robots emerged from the forest and started firing wildly at the cast, sending them all scattering into the water and back into the forest.

"Uh oh, looks like the security has gone rogue..." Chris muttered to himself. "Er, stay tuned next time when the cast fights for their lives against a robot rampage. Um, whoever manages to stop the robot invasion wins the challenge for their team. Yep. All according to plan! Find out what happens on the next thrilling episode of Nightmare at Pahkitew Island!"

Chris dived into the water to escape the robots.

* * *

 **Confessional – Voting**

 **Ayane:** "Kiara wants me to vote for Paul… and I don't wanna go home, so I guess I'll do that."

 **Ryan:** "Love from the heart always come first. Paul, don't interfere in my love life!"

 **Kiara:** "If you're ever rewatching the episode, Paul, I really am sorry I stole your idol, but you I didn't have a choice! I was cornered! I didn't know what to do!"

 **Diana:** "Ayane, you're probably the nicest person on this team. But I can't have you weighing down the team, either."

 **Paul:** "This is fifty-fifty. I hope I'm safe, but with these morons who knows how they'll vote? Ayane, better you than me."

* * *

Paul watched from the Boat of Losers as he watched Pahkitew Island erupt into a cloud of fireworks. "You know what? I'm actually glad I'm not on that island right now. Whatever the hell's going on over there, I want no part of it."

* * *

 _AN: And thus begins the intro the Episode Ten: Robot Rampage._

 _Paul was an interesting character. He was certainly more N-Toned than the rest of his team and was always the antagonistic force, but given what's going on in the future I don't really need him here to drive the drama anymore. Fourteenth place is where he belongs. But now we enter the final thirteen, and what an introduction to them we have._

* * *

 _ **Screaming Eagles**_

Sarah: The StratBot

Aiden: The Weakling

Wyvern: The Tourist

 _Cecilia: The Child Prodigy [22nd]_

Gray: The Nutcase

 _Rei: The Aggressive Genius [20th]_

Tyrenee: The Loner

 _Isaac: The Trailer King [15th] [Idoled]_

 _Antony: The Self-Glorious [16th]_

Oregon: The Adventurer

Vi: The Stoic

 **Killer Bears**

 _Van: The Cutthroat [19th]_

Diana: The Country Girl

Ayane: The Shy Girl

 _Seth: The Hacker [17th]_

 _Mili: The Desperate Foreigner [21st]_

Ryan: The Vanity Magnet

 _Paul: The Sarcastic One [14th]_

Kiara: The Socially Anxious

 _Morrigan: The Creepy Girl [18th]_

Andrew: The Rich Heir

Seamus: The Student Athlete


	10. Episode 10 - Robot Rampage

_AN: You know, I've been thinking a lot about the murder mystery chapter, and I have to say that I think it's the only chapter where I think the original version is better. In that one, Vi was the victim but after everyone solved it it turned out that Vi was the mastermind behind her own "murder" and was working with Isaac. It was pieced together that she took a watch from the warehouse with the purpose of breaking it long before she was shot to obscure her time of death, kept a tranq gun in her room with the purpose of ensuring nobody else could commit a murder before her plan fired off, and invited Kiara into her room so she could find the body. Not only that, but the plan actually worked and the Screaming Eagles won the challenge by an incorrect verdict being reached. This one wasn't nearly as dramatic and while I view the original mystery as flawless, this one has a few holes. It was Vi's establishing moment in that version._

 _Of course, the moment she's established as a legitimate threat this time is her power play with the idol. It happened in the original, too, but it wasn't nearly as masterful._

* * *

 **Screaming Eagles:** Sarah, Gray, Wyvern, Tyrenee, Oregon, Aiden, Vi.

 **Killer Bears:** Andrew, Kiara, Ayane, Diana, Seamus, Ryan

* * *

"Welcome back to Total Drama Nightmare at Pahkitew Island!" Chris introduced while holding on to the inside of a double-rotored helicopter.

"Do we really got _time_ for this?!"Chef Hatchet shouted from the cockpit.

"We've still got to do the intro even if we're in mortal peril. Jeez," Chris shook his head disapprovingly. "What, do you want us to tank in ratings when we've got such a perfect episode on our hands? I am _not_ letting this go to waste."

"Whatever, man," Chef shrugged. "Your funeral."

Chris dusted his shoulder off. "As I was saying, we've got a tiny bit of a disaster going on right now. I wonder who's fault that is?" he gave a slight chuckle. "Who's going to survive the invasion of the killer robots? Who will get voted out in tonight's dramatic campfire ceremony? Find out on this death-defying episode of Total! Drama! Nightmaaaaare at Pahkitew Island!"

* * *

 _(Opening Theme)_

* * *

Diana and Seamus ran away from the elimination area after the robots arrived deep into the Pahkitew forest. The two of them stopped somewhere in a clearing.

Diana leaned over to catch her breath, then spoke. "The heck's going on? Is Scarlett behind this?"

"Maybe coming back to Pahkitew Island wasn't such a great idea..." Seamus considered.

Chris's helicopter flew overhead and he spoke to the cast via megaphone. "Everyone meet at Fort Compendium. I have an announcement to make about your next… er… challenge! Yeah, head there and we'll discuss what it is. Just follow the helicopter and we'll get to it. Try not to die, either. I need as many of you as possible to fix this. Do you have any idea how big of a lawsuit I'll be in if this island gets destroyed?"

* * *

The two teams gathered inside a broken and overgrown old military-style fort where a television screen was hung up in the barracks. The entire cast murmured amongst themselves.

Sarah put both hands in her pockets. "What's going on?"

"I think it's better if Chris explained…" Andrew admitted.

"Couldn't this wait until tomorrow?" Tyrenee moaned.

The television turned on and revealed Chris inside the helicopter. "Afraid not, Tyrenee" Chris said suddenly. "Listen up campers, we've got a bit of a situation on the island. Remember that security system I mentioned yesterday? The one that was supposed to be shut off while we competed until Seth accidentally turned it back on?"

He waited for the cast to respond, though every remained silent.

"Well, it's kinda gone rogue and is threatening to kill everyone on the island," he informed. "Now, I don't get paid if you all die because we'll have to cancel this season completely. That would be bad. So, I'm commissioning you all to fix the island. Whichever team does so successfully get immunity. Oh, and you'll get a special reward if you find Rei and save her." The video and sound began to fade into static. "One… you should know… private prison… beware."

The television switched to a mangled looking robot with deadly red eyes wearing a long coat. It looked menacingly at the camera.

"What kind of robot wears clothes?" Gray smirked. "It's not like you can get cold or need to hide your junk, do you?" she paused for a second. "Wait, you don't have junk, right?"

"Silence," it spoke. Its voice was totally unlike the other robots. Not only was it not mechanical at all, but it was an incredibly deep baritone. "My name… is Malice. I am the warden of this prison, but I am nothing if not merciful. You have until midnight to evacuate the island. Otherwise, I will have every last trespasser on this island exterminated."

"So Scarlett tries to kill everyone and she gets imprisoned, but we 'trespass' on an island owned by Chris but we get sentenced to death?" Tyrenee asked. "Aren't those priorities skewed?"

"You think Chris McLean still owns this island? Fool human," Malice sneered. "As if this low-budget television show could cough up enough money for this place? The island was built and paid for by us as an extra secure prison for a very 'special' inmate. Total Drama rented offered a sum of money in return for using the island before we put him behind bars." The robot rolled its digital eyes. "That didn't work out. The entire island had to be repaired after Scarlett's meltdown, not to mention that Chris managed to forge a deal to get Scarlett locked up in the island instead of our intended subject."

"Who's 'us'?" Andrew asked. "And who was this 'intended subject'."

"Firebrand Security. Only the most lucrative private prison company on the planet," it spoke. "As for your second question… I'm afraid that's classified. All you need to know is that they are locked up in a very secure prison in a far away location. It has no bearing to this island as the transfer never went through."

"If Chris doesn't own the island, then why are we competing here again?" Diana asked.

"I would ask Chris McLean the same question," Malice glared. "No permission was given to film here. As I said, you are all trespassing."

"Not on purpose," Ayane said, scratching her arm. "W-We didn't know."

"Which is why I am giving you all a chance to leave," it said. "Remember my deadline."

The screen went back to Chris in the helicopter.

"If any of you try to leave this island, you will be immediately disqualified! Don't listen to anything that rusty junkbucket says. I've got the legal rights to film here, _right here,"_ he said while waving a stack of papers. "Seth probably screwed with their brains or something when he was hacking the island. And make sure you don't break too many of the robots! I may have the right to film here, but any damage to the island is still coming out of _my_ pocket"

The feed switched to a map of the island's underground. "Here's the way you'll need to go – there are six control rooms all across the island but only one of them is the central control room which has access to everything on the island. You'll need to make it there if you want to shut them all off."

Sarah pushed her way to the front of the group to get a better look at the map. "There's Scarlett's cell," she pointed out.

"Good observation, Sarah," Chris said sarcastically. "But that's not where you're headed. You want the control room. The! Con-trol! Room!" he enunciated as if she couldn't understand.

"Got it," Sarah said.

"Good," Chris said. "McLean out!"

* * *

Deep underground on the island, there was two cells surrounded by security camera. Malice stood between the cell and a television, which turned off after he was done speaking to the cast.

"You know Firebrand rented the island back out to Total Drama, right?" a feminine voice said from within the cell. "You had told me yourself a mere month ago."

"For one month since Chris McLean and his interns deactivated me, I have been completely conscious yet unable to move. Then, he puts the security of this island at risk by bringing unknown variables. I will have my revenge, and ruining his precious show will be my way."

"It must be painful to be the only sentient robot here. I'm the only person you can have a normal conversation with you, after all." The girl paused to think. "It _did_ feel isolated without anyone to speak with for a month."

"I have no interest in conversing with you, Scarlett," it said.

"I'm sure."

Rei started shaking the bars of her cell violently. "If you don't let me out of here right now, so help me I'll kick your shiny, metal ass into next year."

"Oh, you," Malice realized. "I had almost forgotten you were here. Your presence is admittedly a case of mistaken identity on the part of my underlings… yet your anger amuses me so."

"Fuck you, fuckin' robot ass."

"So I even care if a season is being hosted here?" Scarlett interjected. "There's nobody in their right mind who saw last season would be willing to break me free." She paused. "Unless, of course, you know something I don't?"

Malice remained silent.

* * *

The cast headed through the forest following the map's instructions on the closest way to the island's underground.

Ayane pulled on Kiara's sleeve as they traveled together.

Kiara gave her an odd look.

"Uh," Ayane stammered. "Th-Thanks for, you know, not voting me out yesterday."

Kiara pulled out of Ayane's grip. "Er, sure thing," she said slowly.

"I feel kinda bad though…" Ayane said timidly. "Y-You're trying your hardest to win… b-but all I've been doing is just following what everyone t-tells me to do. After the elimination, I just kept thinking, 'what's my excuse?' I-I wanna be more like you."

"What?" Kiara said, shocked. "No. You don't."

"Why not?"

Kiara pursed her lips. "Because you still have your innocence. One day, you'll realize _nobody_ has good intentions and that'll all go away."

"Oh… okay…" Ayane started walking slower to get away from Kiara.

* * *

 **Confessional**

 **Kiara:** "Why does it feel like the optimists in this game are always stalking me?"

* * *

Everyone made it to the bottom side of a cliff face which was shown on the map as where an entrance to the underground facility was.

"This looks like the place," Diana observed. "So where's the way in?"

"Well, in Pahkitew Island none of the entrances were particularly obvious," Andrew said. "Perhaps we should scan the mountainside?"

Oregon traced a line that formed a rectangular that was drawn against the rock with his finger. "I bet this is it!" he shouted. He pushed on the block and it swung open, revealing the interior of Pahkitew Island.

Ayane backed away. "Actually, I think I would prefer to stay outside," she said. "I mean, that place seems kinda well guarded and I don't won't to get hurt..."

"I'll stay behind too," Ryan said with a wink.

"Anyone else too scared," Sarah mused harshly. "Aiden?"

"What?" Aiden said, scratching his head.

"I figured you'd be too afraid to come with us," Sarah said shortly. "Right?"

"N-No!" Aiden refuted. "Just because I'm small… and short… and not so smart doesn't mean I can't be help to any of you guys!"

Sarah shrugged and turned to Kiara. "And you?"

"I'm coming with," she told the girl. After Sarah was satisfied and out of earshot, Kiara muttered softly under her breath. "Someone's gotta keep an eye of _you_ after all."

Tyrenee raised her hand. "I'll stay. I'm not in the mood to become robo-bait today."

"I will go with them for protection!" Seamus added.

"They can fend for themselves," Sarah said. "We need everyone we can if we want to fix this mess."

"No, I think Seamus has a fair point," Diana addressed. "We should leave someone more physically fit with them so they can stay safe. I'd offer to go myself if Seamus didn't already."

"Cool," Gray clapped. "Seamus, Ayane, Tyrenee, and Ryan are all staying behind. The rest of us get to go and kick robot ass!"

The group spit up in two. Those that were staying remained outside the facility while rest moved inside and were greeted by a split path and a television screen. To their left was a set of stairs and the right was a long, dark hallway.

The screen inside turned on, once again revealing Malice. "I see none of you have heeded my warning… _heheheheh…_ then you will all die."

"Wait, I thought you said we have until midnight," Gray pointed out.

"Do you think I intend to passively wait until midnight while you all try to shut me down? How foolish do you think I am?" it scoffed. "No. Don't answer. As of now, every trespasser on this island will die."

Aiden gulped. "I'm not scared."

"Sure," it chuckled darkly. "Good luck." The screen went back to black.

Sarah put both hands in her pockets and started casually walking down the stairs.

"Er… I think that way goes to Scarlett's cell…" Kiara chimed in.

"So it does," Sarah said.

She kept walking.

Vi started to follow. "I think it would be prudent if I were to follow. I think I understand her idea – you figures Rei would be kept near Scarlett, correct?"

"Sure, let's go with that," Sarah said coldly.

"You know, you're not making a very big effort to hide that you just want to see Scarlett," Diana interjected.

"I-It's certainly suspicious," Kiara added.

"I don't particularly care what either of you think. Now if you'll excuse me -" The girl and Vi disappeared out of sight.

"And then there were _seven_ ," Gray said with an eerie voice.

"We should keep moving," Wyvern said. "The faster we get to the control room the faster this nightmare ends."

"I agree with that!" Oregon said.

* * *

 **Confessional**

 **Vi:** "I know not what Sarah plans, but I intend to follow her to ensure that it is nothing… unsavory. With her relation to Scarlett, she is someone to watch out for with our present information. Regardless, I believe I understand what it is that which she wants."

* * *

Seamus, Tyrenee, Ryan, and Ayane sat around outside entrance.

Ayane gripped her legs and pulled them closer to her chest. "I-I'm so scared."

Seamus shifted his eyes dangerously at his surrounding. "As long as I'm here, nobody is getting hurt."

Tyrenee shrugged. "Thanks for the concern, but as long as we're out here I don't think we pose a threat. I'm pretty sure that robot's focus is gonna be on the guys trying to stop him."

Ryan shifted closer to Tyrenee. "So, babe, you single or not?"

"Excuse?" Tyrenee choked. "Now is hardly the time to-"

"You didn't answer my question," he said with an eyebrow waggle.

"Hard no," she said bluntly.

"Shame. You look like one of the most normal people on the island," Ryan shrugged. He gave her an odd look. "But maybe later?"

"Ryan, stop," Seamus commanded. "You're gonna make everyone uncomfortable."

"Anyway, it might be better to head to my team's shelter," Tyrenee suggested. "We might be able to sleep through this or something and at least we have food there."

Seamus shrugged. "It's better than what we got. We live in a cave."

* * *

 **Confessional**

 **Seamus:** "I'm still wary of Ryan – nobody offers _betrayal_ to me. But I have bigger things to worry about right now and his flirting is getting… obnoxious."

 **Tyrenee:** "Whoever this Ryan person is, I'm glad I'm not on his team." She shrugs slightly. "I'm gay anyway."

* * *

Vi followed Sarah through the tunnels.

Sarah shot the small girl a glare. "So why are you following me?"

"I must ensure that you are doing nothing unnecessary," Vi stated. "I hope you know that speaking with Scarlett will not give you the answers that which you seek. She will do nothing but confuse you further."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Sarah said bluntly.

"I think I do," Vi said earnestly. "It is quite painfully obvious. You want Scarlett to explain her actions to you. To assure you that you are not like her. But I know she will not tell you what you want to hear. She will just get into your head, Sarah."

"Like you do?" Sarah accused.

"I do not say or perform any action that I do not believe to be against anyone's interest," Vi assured. "I only mean to win the game, and I will do so without harming anyone physically or mentally."

"Ugh," Sarah cringed. "For someone who supposedly has no emotions, you're such a goody-two shoes."

"Thank-you," Vi said with a tilt of her head.

"It wasn't meant to be a compliment," Sarah said coldly. The two of them passed a metal door with a label above it.

" _Explosives Storage_ ," Vi read. "How interesting."

Sarah pushed a button next to the door, and it revealed a broom closet like room with shelves packed with bombs, TNT, and dynamite. "This must be where Chris keeps the explosives for the challenges," Sarah pointed out.

The taller girl picked up a stick of dynamite and rolled it along her hands. She gave a thin smile.

"Do you intend to destroy the machines by explosive?" Vi asked.

"Can't think of a better way," Sarah admitted. She twisted it between her fingers. "What, did you want to try to _talk_ the robots down?"

"It couldn't hurt," Vi mused.

"Jesus," Sarah said in shock. "It's damned name is _Malice_. It sure as hell won't listen to reason."

"So you think it foolish to try and speak to this robot, but is it not equally so to try with Scarlett?" Vi asked.

"You're impossible," Sarah accused as she put several sticks of dynamite in her pockets.

* * *

 **Confessional**

 **Sarah:** "Perhaps Vi doesn't understand, but I want to make sure Scarlett understands what she did to me. The media won't leave my family alone!" she says seriously. "Everyone thinks _I'm_ gonna crack next." She clenches her fist and punches the confessional wall.

* * *

The larger group of Wyvern, Gray, Diana, Andrew, Kiara, Aiden, and Oregon continued to stalk through the congested hallway of the Pahkitew underground.

Gray poked Kiara on the shoulder. "How're you doin' short stuff," she teased. "It's always the defenseless ones who die first in horror movies, you know."

Kiara quickened her pace to get away from Gray.

Gray pouted slightly. "No fun."

"Hey, Gray!" Aiden said with excitement. "I'll play with you. What do you want to talk about?"

"I kinda want to find this Malice asshole and mess with his stickbutt a bit. 'Oh I am the great, self-important Malice and if you don't leave I'll kill you all.'" She emphasized this with finger quotes. "Haha, what a dum-dum. He thinks he can be all serious but nobody can keep a straight face around me."

Aiden rested his hand on his side. "That doesn't seem like a very good idea."

"It won't matter," Andrew said from behind with a slight grin. "After all these robots are shut off from the control room, he'll be off without us ever having to see him."

Up ahead, Diana and Oregon walked with each other.

"So have you ever dated anyone before?" Diana asked.

"Huh, well there was this one girl I met while I was touring Brazil," Oregon admitted with a scratch of his head. "But it wasn't really anything serious. Just like a week or something. Honest."

"What, like a fling?" Diana asked incredulously.

"No, nothing like that," Oregon said. "I just came to realize that I travel… travel too much for a real relationship. I broke it off as I left."

Diana gave him an intent look. "Hmm."

Wyvern lagged behind, peeking into various rooms with different technologies and taking photos.

* * *

 **Confessional**

 **Wyvern:** "Dude, there's some nice stuff down here. I wonder how much money I could get by selling pictures of this stuff online. I mean, it's a good plan if I don't win, right?

 **Oregon:** "You know… I forgot it might make it hard to keep a relationship with Diana considering I'm always traveling. I'd hate to disappoint her, but at the same time I don't want to stop talking to her, either."

* * *

The footage cut back to Malice watching security footage from the hall with Scarlett's cell intently. Specifically, he was focused on Diana and Oregon talking to each other.

"Ugh," Malice cringed. "Humans and their carnal desires. Disgusting.

"There we have something in common," Scarlett said disinterestedly.

It pushed a button located where its left ear would normally be located on a human. "I need a dispatch to hall eighteen. Show them no mercy."

* * *

The larger group found themselves at a four-way intersection in the hall and came to a stop to figure out where to go from there.

"Where next?" Diana asked.

"As I recall, the primary control room should be straight ahead," Andrew mused.

Suddenly, a group of three robots approached from around a corner down the hall straight forward. "Surrender now and we shall give you mercy in death!"

"Shit, time to skedaddle!" Gray shouted and she grabbed Aiden's arm and double-backed the way she came. Diana and Oregon ran down the left hall, leaving Andrew and Wyvern to got down the right.

As the robots approached, Kiara leaned up against the corner of the hall as the three robots split up among the paths. Using her small height to her advantage, she slipped by them as they passed and continued down the forward hall.

She peeked around the next corner and saw another robot stationed beside the door to the control room.

" _Damn it!"_ she cursed.

* * *

Gray and Aiden managed to evade the robot chasing them. By escaping into a small broom closet that was quite crowded to fit the both of them. Gray flicked the light on.

Aiden turned flushed. "I-It's a little crowded in here."

Gray laced her fingers behind her head. "So it is," she observed. "You don't have a problem with that, do you AiAi?"

"No," Aiden muttered. "Of course not."

Still smirking, Gray sorted through several boxes lined around shelves in the room. "Junk, junk, junk, thousand dollar bill for hair gel, junk." The girl continued to search through the boxes, carelessly throwing random metal bits and junk on the ground. "Hey, what's this?"

She picked up the object and it turned out to be a strange looking gun. Right next to it lay another one as well. "It's definitely a weapon of some sort," Gray said as she examined it. "It's got some sort of LED display on the side."

Gray cracked the door open and took a peek back outside and ensured the coast was clear before stepping back out of the closet. She pointed the futuristic weapon at a wall and opened fire. A blue beam of light was emitted from the device, leaving a burn mark on the wall. "Holy shit, it's a laser gun!" Gray said with a toothy grin.

Aiden stepped out carrying a gun of his own. "We can fight back with these!"

* * *

 **Confessional**

 **Gray:** "I don't care what anyone says, I'm taking these babies with me home! Do you know how much raw power I'd have with a laser gun? Fucking OP as shit, man!"

* * *

Diana and Oregon both hid around a corner as two robots slowly approached. As they turned around, Oregon made a sucker punch on the robot that sent sparks flying while Diana swept the other's feet right from under it before stomping its face with her feet.

"Dang. Wicked!" Diana exclaimed.

The two doubled over both out of breath from running. Diana noticed a blush on Oregon then turned red herself. "Both of us weren't so bad out there," she complimented.

"I'd say so," Oregon agreed. "But we should find the others, they're probably looking for us by now."

Diana averted her gaze. "Or we could work together. Just the two of us for a little while."

Oregon scratched on his arm and peeked around the corner. "I suppose we could try to find the control room. If we remember where we are, that is."

"It's a date," Diana said lightly.

* * *

Malice continued to watch the camera feed and watched those that stayed behind lounge around the Screaming Eagles' shelter. He laced his metallic fingers behind his back and frowned. "What cowards." He turned the communications on his ear back on. "Destroy that shelter, I want all evidence of this putrid show wiped off the island."

"Hmm, you have as much hatred for this show as I do," Scarlett noted from behind.

Malice let out a light chuckle. "You hate this? Why would you sign up for this anyway? It is quite obvious from outside observation that it is entirely unfair anyway."

"It was merely a means to an end. Unfortunately, I am well aware of the inherent unfairness. I was disqualified for something so trivial, after all."

"You call threatening the lives of a group of children trivial? You truly are evil."

"I merely threatened," Scarlett shrugged. "And that is rich coming from you who are actively attempting to murder an even greater number of teens on the island."

"You can't be allowed to escape," he responded in a low voice.

* * *

A robot stepped out of the woods as the stragglers that stayed behind sat around outside the Screaming Eagle's shelter.

Tyrenee examined her nails with disinterest. "Figures we wouldn't be safe here. For the record, I should point out that we pose no threat right now. You should be focusing your efforts on the others."

"Tyrenee!" Seamus said in disgust.

"It's the truth," Tyrenee shrugged.

It approached the camp and gave an order. "Stand aside!" it shouted in a mechanical tone. "You will not be killed, I only wish the destruction of this foreign structure!"

Ryan furrowed his brow and moved to the side of the shelter. Seamus and Ayane quickly followed, leaving Tyrenee behind. "We kinda need this place to sleep in," Tyrenee said casually.

"The intention is for you to leave. This structure is unnecessary. As are you," it threatened.

Tyrenee gave a long drawn out sigh and moved out of the robot's way to her right. In a single moment, a laser struck the shelter and let out a massive explosion. After it dissipated, the shelter was gone. Simply gone. As soon as it was over, the robot wordlessly stalked back into the woods.

"Looks like you guys'll be stuck finding a new shelter too. You know, I wouldn't really mind sharing my team's cave with some girls."

"Still not interested," Tyrenee said shortly.

* * *

 **Confessional**

 **Tyrenee:** "Yeah, I'm disappointed that our shelter got destroyed. Since I'm the only member of my team here, I hope they don't try to blame me."

* * *

Andrew managed to get away from the robot chasing him but in the process got separated from Wyvern.

"At least I lost it," he said to himself. "I just hope the others are okay."

He found himself at the four-way intersection that the team got separated at before. "I seem to recall this way being the path to the control room." He took the straight path and approached the corner.

Sitting against the wall holding her legs close to her chest was Kiara.

The small girl let out a sigh of relief. "I thought I had lost everyone. D-Don't go down the hall, there's a robot guarding the control room door."

"We need a distraction," Andrew said.

"Or a way to kill it." Gray and Aiden approached from behind with weapons drawn. Gray laced her hands behind her head. "Did someone call a couple of badasses?"

Andrew raised an eyebrow. "And where did you get those?" he said in a low voice.

"We found it in a broom closet!" Aiden said mirthfully.

Gray tactically leaned against the wall, then peeked out around the corner to see the robot. She motioned Aiden to move forward and the two of them moved crouched toward the robot. Gray suddenly shouted. "Hold it, buddy. This here's a stick up!"

The robot turned and pointed its arm at the couple. "Die."

An explosion went off as Gray dived down, narrowly missing the girl. The two of them opened fire at it and quickly disabled it. It laid sprawled out on the ground shooting sparks and desperately flailing. Soon enough, oil spilled out on the ground and the robot was dead.

"Well that was kinda morbid," Gray commented.

The four of them moved forward to the control room, only to find it still locked with a keypad preventing entry. A screen behind them turned on, revealing Chris in the helicopter. "I had the door fixed between seasons where Max shorted it out. Password is 11037. Get to it before these robots ruin the season even more!"

Kiara inputted the code and gained entry to the room.

"Greetings, Chris McLean," a voice said as the team entered.

Kiara narrowed her eyes. "Leave this to me. I'll shut them down."

* * *

 **Confessional**

 **Kiara:** "My parents practically never let me leave the house unless it was to show me off, so I have a way with computers," she tells the camera. A hint of bitterness rises in her voice. "It's also where I learned that the people of my homeland wants me and my family killed and dismembered."

* * *

"NO!" Malice narrowed his digital eyes as he saw the four enter the control room. He slammed his fist into the nearby monitor. "Every damned robot to the control room, now!

"Something going wrong?" The voice came from not Scarlett, but a much higher voice that came from somewhere down the hall.

Malice turned to find Vi sitting in the lotus position on a wooden crate. "I had thought sentient machines were merely the work of science fiction, yet here you stand as a testament to that falsity."

"Who the hell are you?" he shouted as he started stalking forward. Scarlett watched with eyebrows raised as the robot confronted the small girl. "What are you doing here?"

Vi cocked her head to the side. "I am here to free Scarlett, obviously."

Malice narrowed his eyes. "Not on my watch.

Vi hopped down from the box and started to run into the hallway. Malice gave chase and was clearly the faster of the pair. As he turned the corner, he found himself surrounded by TNT. Vi and Sarah stood some distance away. Sarah crossed her arms as she gave him a knowing smirk. Goodbye, Malice."

"Shit."

A deafening explosion went off and in an instant Malice was destroyed. His mechanical body lay on the ground in a heap of crumpled metal missing a leg. Sarah approached and began kicking at the body. "Dead," she said. She put her hands in her pockets and headed back toward where Scarlett was being held.

"I still advise against talking to her," Vi informed.

"I don't care," Sarah said bluntly. "I need answers and I'm not leaving without them."

* * *

Kiara was rapidly typing on the control computer as Gray leered out the door on lookout. "Good God, hurry up!" Gray said in a panicked tone. "There's a whole horde of them coming and I don't think this little laser can hold back that many!" Aiden and Gray both exited the room and opened fire on the machines. Explosions and laser fire could be heard from inside the room.

Kiara bit on her jaw. "I'm working on it."

Aiden yelped and ran into the room, leaving Gray out alone. He wiped sweat off his brow. "It's getting a l-little busy out there?"

"Can you work a little faster?" Andrew asked her.

Kiara clenched her teeth.

Gray came inside shortly after and shut the door violently behind her. She backed away, then heavy pounding could be heard as massive dents caved in on the metal door.

"We need this done, like, yesterday," Gray said.

Aiden nervously pressed his fingers together. "U-Um, how much longer?"

"Are you almost done?" Andrew asked.

Kiara slammed both of her hands onto the desk in front of her. "Dammit guys, I can't be rushed. This takes time! I-I can't work under this pressure."

Gray rocked on her heels. "Okay, okay. No pressure. I'll stop reminding you that our lives are on the line." She gave two thumbs up. "Good talk."

By then, the door inside was nearly warped off its hingest.

Suddenly, the banging stopped. Kiara pulled away from the keyboard and said, "it's done."

"Nice going," Andrew complimented.

"It wasn't so much hacking as it was just figuring out the controls of this place," Kiara said with visible sweat beads on her head. She pulled her hood up. "It would've been faster if everyone wasn't breathing down my neck."

The big screen in the room came to life once again revealing Chris McLean. "Nice going, Kiara. You saved everyone from dying to the robots. Now, everyone come back to the fort. I have some announcements to make regarding the future of the show."

* * *

Sarah grabbed hold of the bars on Scarlett's cell.

"You!" the girl seethed. "I hope you're proud of what you've done, it's YOUR fault everything happened to me! It's YOUR fault that the media sees me as a monster!"

"Judging by your behavior, I think you did that on your own."

"The world sees me as some sort of psychopath just because I happen to be cousins with you!" She balled both of her fists up and punched the wall. "Well? Do you have an explanation for your actions? I'm waiting to hear it?"

"I only did what I felt was necessary to win. You would have done the same if presented with the opportunity, I imagine."

"I have anger issues, I admit it! I'm not above manipulating people to get what I want. But I would NEVER attempt to or threaten to hurt any of these people! I could have prevented your arrival to the season. I always had my suspicions that you were fucked up. I could have TOLD them about you, but by keeping quiet I left those people in danger. I did that for you!"

"That would be your own fault then."

Sarah punched the wall again. "Fine! Rot in here! See if I care!"

Sarah stalked away from Scarlett with her fists still balled up. Scarlett gave the girl a light chuckle. "You know, I was wondering what that robot meant that someone might try to free me. It was you." Scarlett's voice was now deadly serious. "Mark my words, I will escape this cell. And you will be the one to free me."

* * *

 **Confessional**

 **Sarah:** "I always had my suspicions about that girl. I always knew deep down that she was psychotic, but I kept my mouth shut because I didn't want to make a scene. Well, I'll come back. I'll come back to Scarlett for another chat, and I will make her _regret_ ever crossing me!"

 **Vi:** "That went about as well as expected. Fortunately, for the sake of that bonus I took the liberty to free Rei from her cell while the two were… chatting. So at least our team will get this reward, even though we did not technically win the challenge."

* * *

The remaining contestants met Chris at the old fort. Chris crossed his arms as he prepared to announce the winner of the challenge.

"Since Kiara is the one who technically brought about the shutdown of the killer robots, she technically wins the challenge for her team. So. Screaming Eagles, date with me at the elimination ceremony."

"What about our reward?" Sarah scoffed. Notably, she was now wearing Malice's old burnt coat. "We freed Rei."

"Yeah, about that," Chris said with a grin. "You'll get it. Eventually. Just not right now, and you won't really get much use out of it anyway, honestly. It might even turn out to be a disadvantage, if you know what I mean."

"No, I don't know what you mean!" Sarah seethed as she started to march toward Chris, though Vi pulled her back.

Chris cleared his throat. "As I was saying, seeing as both team's shelters have been destroyed I think its only fitting that we bring the two teams together."

"Wait, so we're merging?" Andrew asked in surprise. "There's still thirteen, it seems a little early."

"Not quite," Chris denied. "I've decided that both teams will live together in this crummy old fort. Now we have plenty of opportunity for cross-team interaction. Fun?"

"That's cool," Wyvern shrugged. "I saw actual beds in there, so its a real improvement."

"Also, Gray and Aiden. I'm gonna have to confiscate your weapons before I get sued because either of you hurt someone."

"I-I would never hurt anyone!" Aiden denied.

"Meh, I totally woulda used these for evil," Gray shrugged. "Oh well."

"Anyhoo, remember Screaming Eagles. Date with me tonight. One of you seven is outta here!" Chris grinned. "I'll give you all a little while to get acquainted with your new home."

* * *

Sarah and Vi sat beside each other on the cot.

"Have you any consideration as to what I told you earlier?" Vi asked.

"Shit, considering what happened yesterday I have to trust you. But I'd rather have Aiden gone than Gray. I don't like it, but we'll have to get the others on board too. Probably best to leave Gray out of the loop on this one."

"Of course," Vi agreed.

* * *

 **Confessional**

 **Vi:** "Even if Aiden leaves, the betrayal will irrevocably ruin Gray and Sarah's alliance with each other and put me in the spot as her most trusted ally instead. It is just one way of cutting down the power of the largest social threat."

* * *

"We've got an actual stove!" Wyvern clapped as he entered a makeshift kitchen with cooking utensils and a makeshift fire stove located on the front wall.

"Yeah," Oregon agreed. "I wonder if we have any good cooks out here."

"Hmm, nobody really strikes me as a good cook," Wyvern considered. "Then again I guess I don't really know what a good cook looks like."

Sarah walked into the room with her long coat trailing behind her. "Boy, I think I've found a way to save both of you tonight. I'm betraying my ally, Aiden. Vote for him and both of you are safe."

Oregon scratched his head. "That sounds like a really bad idea, at least for you. This sounds too good to be true."

Sarah shoved both hands into the coat pockets. "I don't particularly care. Vote for him or get voted off. I win either way."

* * *

Andrew gazed to his side as he sat on a cot beside Kiara's in a second bedroom. He fiddled with his sleeve as he prepared to make conversation. "So. You did good out there. Saved all of us, that's for sure."

"I-It wasn't really that complicated as I thought it would be. I-It was just a series of commands, really."

"Either way, we won the challenge. I'm not prepared to vote someone out on such short notice. We should take the time right now to plan who that would be."

"R-Right…"

"As you know, I was leaning toward targeting Diana again. She's still a social threat and she's clearly been getting close to Oregon."

"I suppose… but." Kiara cracked her neck as she prepared herself for what she was about to say. "You trust me, right?"

"Well, you're a little unstable." Andrew chuckled. Kiara winced a little at the comment. "For what it's worth, you're my closest ally. So yes, I do trust you."

"Yeah," Kiara said despondently. "I'm sorry I snapped earlier… again."

Andrew gave a wry smirk. "I should be used to it by now."

"You shouldn't be," Kiara said bitterly. "Nobody should have to put up with me. I'm such a… selfish idiot." She started clutching at her head. "Stupid, selfish girl."

"Don't talk about yourself like that," Andrew told her in a low voice.

Kiara only shook her head and shuddered to herself. "Everyone knows it's true. Even _you_ called me unstable just a few seconds ago."

"I didn't mean it like that," Andrew said calmly. "I only meant it's hard to predict you."

Kiara sighed. "It never goes away."

"What?" Andrew said flatly.

Kiara began shaking and her eyes were noticeably red and puffy. She clutched at her head and buried herself into her legs. "It never goes away. I thought leaving would make it go away, but it never leaves me. The self-loathing. It never ends. I'm such a shitty person, I just… betray everyone I'm close to and then fucking bitch at everyone else."

"Kiara…" Andrew considered. "You're just playing the game."

Kiara gazed down. "I'm a coward."

Andrew croaked out a sound. He didn't know what he should say. All he could do was pull the girl into an embrace. "I don't know why you think of yourself like this. For what it's worth, I don't hate you. I don't even dislike you. And look at it this way – You're not Paul or Van, at the very least."

"Or Sarah," Kiara added with a thin smile. "But none of that really says much."

"Either way, it's too late in the game to start second guessing yourself. Play the way you want, and if you want to feel guilty wait until the game's over."

Kiara pursed her lips. "I'll try."

* * *

Oregon found Tyrenee in a room filled with medieval-era weapons.

"Did you hear the big news?" he asked the girl. "Apparently the three of us are safe tonight. Sarah's trying to turn around and vote out Aiden."

"Wouldn't that reduce her alliance down to three?" Tyrenee asked suspiciously. "With six people on the team, that sounds like suicide. Not to mention she'll probably tick Gray off in the process. I've never seen her legitimately angry, but I don't wanna find out what that looks like."

"I don't know, it seems too good to be true. It's coming out of nowhere."

"…Vi," Tyrenee said finally. "This has to be her doing. She's playing Sarah. I don't know what she's trying to accomplish, but it can't be good."

"Assuming Aiden and Gray will still try to vote for one of us, that leaves two votes from them, two votes for Aiden, and between you, me, and Wyvern, three votes to go wherever we want. Unless Vi has another idol up her sleeve, we can vote Sarah off tonight."

"As much as I hate Sarah… Vi might be the bigger threat," Tyrenee thought. "And I think Gray would be willing to side with us if we told her."

"Would she believe us?" Oregon asked.

"She's smarter than she lets people think she is. I'm sure she knows Sarah would betray her at the drop of a hat."

* * *

 **Confessional**

 **Tyrenee:** "I know I _said_ Gray is smart, but she's also unpredictable. While she might believe me, there's no telling what she'll do with the information."

* * *

Tyrenee met with Gray outside the fort.

Gray swayed side-to-side. "So you want to meet with me? How unusual, this must be very important to you, hmmmm?"

"It's just something I thought you'd want to hear," Tyrenee shrugged. "Sarah's planning on voting for Aiden."

The corner of Gray's mouth twitched. "Oh? How interesting… I assume you want me to vote for her in return?"

"Actually, I was thinking about hitting Vi. I may not like Sarah, but Vi seems to be the mastermind behind this vote. She's been trying to play everyone on this team since she got here, and I think it's fair that it ends tonight."

"What a strange girl," Gray mused.

"Well? Are you in or not?" Tyrenee whispered.

Gray clutched at her stomach and laughed. "Ahaha! That's a surprise! I guess you'll just have to find out after the vote!"

* * *

Gray strolled into the other dormitory room where Vi and Sarah were sitting across from each other on cots.

Gray shot Vi a glare then rocked on her heels. "Heeeeeey Sar-ah! Can I speak to you alonesies please?"

"Jesus," Sarah cursed. "If I agree, will you stop talking like that?"

"No," Gray said bluntly.

"I suppose this is where I make leave," Vi said as she strolled out of the room. Gray blew a raspberry after she shut the door.

Gray breathed out. "Sarah, old buddy, old pal, old dear friend of mine, you would tell your dearest closest ally if you were plotting a betrayal, riiiiiight?"

"Whatever Oregon told you is a lie," Sarah said disinterestedly. "Surely you don't think I'm dumb enough to reduce myself to an alliance of three on a team of six?"

"I dunno, are yoooou?"

"Are you just here to tell me the alliance is over or is there something you want from me?" Sarah sniffed.

"I mean, jeez. By me a drink before you try to dick me over, at least," Gray responded. "Although… I think there's a way for you to earn my trust back. Why don't we vote out Vi today, eh?"

Sarah narrowed her eyes. "And why should I trust you? Vi at least played her idol on me. What have you done _for_ me, really?

"Sounds like you're stuck between a rock and a hard place. Even if you don't trust me, what exactly is stopping me from voting you out then? There's Aiden and me, and I just need two more. Considering the entire team hates you, I don't think it'll be that hard to get the votes. I don't think you have a choice."

Sarah cursed under her breath. "Deal."

"Pleasure doing business with you," Gray said lightly.

* * *

 **Confessional**

 **Gray:** "I must thank Vi later for effectively voting herself out."

 **Sarah:** "Trust me, the others will pay for not keeping their dumbass mouths _shut!"_

* * *

"Welcome to ninth elimination ceremony of the game, tonight your team of seven might go down to a team of six!" Chris said lightly as the members of the Screaming Eagles took their places on their stumps. "So how's it going?"

"Could be better," Wyvern shrugged.

"We're not dead, so there's that," Aiden added.

Suddenly, something came crawling out of the bushes. "I'm not done with you yet, McLean," a voice called out. "I will have… my REVENGE!"

It was Malice, reduced to only one arm and one leg, crawling out of the bushes.

"Ew," Gray cringed.

Chris scratched the back of his head. "Oh, that fixes everything. Tonight was supposed to be a non-elimination to make up for that double elimination a few days ago, but since Malice decided to join us… say hello to the newest member of the Screaming Eagles!"

"WHAT!" Wyvern said. "He tried to kill us!"

"How is it even still working?" Tyrenee pointed out. "I thought it would be shut down with the rest of the robots."

"Fool. I operate independently of their hive mind for just the situation like this!" Malice exclaimed. "And I refuse to participate in your putrid show!"

Chris clicked his tongue. "Doesn't look like you're in much of a position to object."

Gray laced her hands behind her head and leaned to her side. "We're voting for Vi, for your information, new teamie."

Silence.

"I have a second immunity idol," Vi said.

"What, no? That can't be true!" Tyrenee pointed out.

"I have been on both teams – I stole the idol from Paul several days ago then found the idol belonging to this team later." she said. "I would not play an idol on someone other than myself without a backup to use."

"That makes sense," Tyrenee said with her mouth covered by her hand.

"I want off this shitshow anyway," Malice sneered.

"Eh, just vote for Vi anyway," Gray shrugged.

"Easy for you to say!" Tyrenee snapped. "You're not in danger of being eliminated if she plays it!"

"And with that, let's get to the vote!" Chris decided. "Sarah, since you stopped Malice, I suppose you should get the privilege of voting first!"

* * *

 **Confessional**

 **Vi:** "Thankfully, none of my original teammates are present to refute my claim. I regret having to make up such a lie, but it is ultimately necessary to ensure my continued existence in the game."

* * *

"Right," Chris began as everyone returned from voting. "I have a plate of seven marshmallows with me. One for every person slash robot… except one. One person will not receive a marshmallow. One person's life in this game will be snuffed out like nothing."

"I honestly have no clue how this vote is going to go," Oregon said uncertainly.

"Well, it's not going to be you," Chris said as he tossed the adventurer a marshmallow. "Oregon is safe."

Oregon pumped his fist. "Yes!"

"Also safe is… Wyvern!" Chris continued.

"I was actually a little worried there," Wyvern admitted.

"Gray and Aiden, you are the only other people on this team not to receive any votes," Chris said. "Sarah, Vi, Malice, and Tyrenee all received at least one vote against them.

"Oh, thank you!" Aiden said lightly.

"With only one vote against her… the next marshmallow goes to Vi!" Chris said as he tossed the girl a marshmallow.

"Fiddlesticks," Gray said. "I tried."

"Also with only one vote against her… Sarah is safe," Chris continued.

"Go fuck yourselves," Sarah said smugly.

"Malice, you tried to kill everyone, which is plenty of reason to vote you out. You also voted for yourself, so..." Chris trailed off. "Tyrenee… you're a wild card, I guess."

Tyrenee looked at her teammates and started counting the votes on her hand. "I think I'm safe."

"Right you are, the final marshmallow goes to you, Tyrenee," Chris said finally. "Which means Malice, your short-lived time on this show is over."

"Take me back to home office so I can be repaired," Malice demanded. "Get me off this damned island already, I don't care anymore."

"Not. So. Fast," Chris said with a malicious grin. "I'm a bit short on interns right now. All the other ones died after trying to clean the island up from last season. So you get to stay on the show… as an INTERN!"

"No!" Malice shouted. "You cannot do this to me!"

"Actually, I can. Your parent company signed a deal – everything on this island is mine right now. And that makes you my property. Honestly, if you weren't voted out I woulda just ignored the votes and made you an intern anyway."

"Where's our reward for rescuing Rei?!" Sarah demanded.

"Relax, it's coming tomorrow. For now, just enjoy the fact that your team is staying the same as before," Chris said before pausing. "Just a little more fractured than before, though. Anyway, you can all head home. Malice, you need to clean the confessional. I think there might still be some lingering Owen stink in there."

"I… WILL HAVE MY REVENGE, CHRIS MCLEAN!"

"Blah, blah, blah! I've heard all those threats before. They don't faze me anymore."

* * *

 **Confessional – Voting**

 **Malice:** "I vote for myself. Whatever gets me off this juvenile show."

 **Vi:** "Malice will likely be the secondary target considering I do not think I am being targeted any longer. Thus, I cast my vote for him."

 **Tyrenee:** "Malice. Him. It. Whatever keeps me safe."

 **Gray:** "I'm not fooled, Vi! I know you've got no other idol!"

 **Wyvern:** "I'm kinda confused on what's going on, so I'll just vote for Sarah and hope she goes."

 **Sarah:** "I will revert to my original plan. Sorry, Tyrenee. That's just the way the game's played.

* * *

Chris stood behind Malice as he was laying in the confession since he couldn't stand with one leg. "How do you expect me to clean with two missing limbs!?" Malice growled.

"Don't know, don't care. Just put some back into it. This is what you get for trying to ruin MY show!" Chris said. "Anyway, how will the newly dysfunctional Screaming Eagles fair now? How secure is Scarlett really? Will Kiara finally get her act together?"

"Don't know, don't care," Malice snapped back.

Chris gave a slight frown. "Find out next time, on Total! Drama! Nightmare at Pahkitew Island!"

* * *

 _AN: For the record, I don't consider Malice a real competitor, so he won't be added to the elimination records and won't change the placements. He was always meant to join in as an intern, but having him join the game was a joke I came up with at the last second. Anyway, now that we're at chapter ten we're finally at the last episode the original got to. It's all new ground from here!_

* * *

 _ **Screaming Eagles**_

Sarah: The StratBot

Aiden: The Weakling

Wyvern: The Tourist

 _Cecilia: The Child Prodigy [22nd]_

Gray: The Nutcase

 _Rei: The Aggressive Genius [20th]_

Tyrenee: The Loner

 _Isaac: The Trailer King [15th] [Idoled]_

 _Antony: The Self-Glorious [16th]_

Oregon: The Adventurer

Vi: The Stoic

 **Killer Bears**

 _Van: The Cutthroat [19th]_

Diana: The Country Girl

Ayane: The Shy Girl

 _Seth: The Hacker [17th]_

 _Mili: The Desperate Foreigner [21st]_

Ryan: The Vanity Magnet

 _Paul: The Sarcastic One [14th]_

Kiara: The Socially Anxious

 _Morrigan: The Creepy Girl [18th]_

Andrew: The Rich Heir

Seamus: The Student Athlete


End file.
